Pike & San Isabel National Forest - Colorado

Gaze up at 14,000 foot peaks and backpack your way through Colorado's rugged wilderness! With one million acres of mountains, rivers, canyons and meadows, nature-lover will not leave Pike and San Isabel National Forest without a smile!

Spanning over one million acres and home to top-notch fishing streams, wilderness areas, ski resorts and hundreds of miles of trails, the Pike & San Isabel National Forest has recreational activities to suit everyone. Among the forest's most majestic mountains are the 14,433 ft. Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest, and Pikes Peak, Colorado's most famous. But it doesn't stop there. The forest duo boasts whitewater for the ambitious, and those with weaker stomachs can enjoy scenic drives and historic ghost towns for some local history.

Visitors to the Pike and San Isabel National Forest can backpack on the Colorado or Continental Divide Trails, and whether you're a beginner or an expert, there's a trail to suit your needs. Water lovers will enjoy kayaking and rafting, or why not try mountain biking the valleys and canyons of the Pike and San Isabel National Forest? Photography and wildlife-watching are also popular, so keep your eyes peeled for elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and bears.

The Pike and San Isabel National Forest is located south of Denver and west of Colorado Springs. The western border follows the Continental Divide from southern Sawatch Mountains to the Lake County Line north of Leadville.