Fossil Ridge Wilderness, Protected wilderness area in Gunnison National Forest, Colorado.

Fossil Ridge Wilderness is a 13,992-acre (56.62 km²) protected area about 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Gunnison, Colorado, in Gunnison National Forest. Its centerpiece is Fossil Ridge, a high, exposed ridge of Paleozoic carbonates holding epeiric sea fossils. Elevations run from 8,880 feet (2,710 m) at Summerville Creek to 13,254 feet (4,040 m) atop Henry Mountain. The photograph shows a sloping crest of flat, gray and brownish stones with rusty orange patches, stacked in loose layers, larger slabs at the base and a darker outcrop at the top.

The US Congress designated this land as a protected wilderness area in 1993 through the Colorado Wilderness Act. This legislation was part of a broader effort to protect wild regions in Colorado and established it as a long-term protected landscape.

The name comes from Fossil Ridge, a high, exposed band of Paleozoic carbonates holding fossils of an epeiric sea. Elk, deer, mountain goats and bighorn sheep live in the wilderness, and visitors may see them on the tundra slopes below the rock line.

The area can be visited from multiple access points via marked trails that offer different difficulty levels depending on your fitness. The best time to visit is from late spring through early fall, when higher elevations are snow-free and conditions for hiking remain more stable.

Fossil Ridge is a high, exposed ridge of Paleozoic carbonates holding fossils of an epeiric sea. The wilderness takes its name from this rock band, where the broken, angular slabs along the crest show rusty orange patches. The area covers 13,992 acres, from Summerville Creek at 8,880 feet to Henry Mountain's 13,254-foot summit.