West Elk Wilderness on the Gunnison National Forest contains about 176,000 acres ranging in elevation from 7,000' to more than 13,000'. More than 200 miles of constructed trails are available for both foot and horse travel through often rugged terrain. Mill Castle Trail is one of the most rugged and scenic trails in this Wilderness. Points of interest include: the Castles, West Elk Peak, Sheep Lake, North, Middle and South Baldy Mountains, and East and West Beckwith Mountains.

This beautiful countryside gets very little traffic until fall hunting season rolls around: the deer and elk population is numbered in the thousands. Other than that, there's hardly anyone out here most of the time. So you'd be free to cross mountain pass after mountain pass and fully explore secluded, aspen-filled valleys with fishable beaver ponds lying below the eroded turrets, pinnacles and gendarmes lining the serrated ridges and standing guard over the fantastic rock formations.

West Elk Wilderness map
West Elk Wilderness map
West Elk Wilderness area mapSnowmass Ski ResortButtermilk Ski AreaAspen Highlands Ski AreaAspen Mountain Ski AreaCrested Butte Mountain ResortMaroon Bells-Snowmass WildernessRaggeds WildernessPaonia State ParkVega State ParkCrawford State ParkCurecanti National Recreation AreaBlack Canyon of the Gunnison National ParkWest Elk Loop Scenic BywayWest Elk Loop Scenic BywayWhite River National ForestGunnison National Forest
West Elk Wilderness area map