Roosevelt National Forest

In their rush to see the grandeur of Rocky Mountain National Park, many people drive right through the wonderful Roosevelt National Forest without a pause. They are missing out on some great wilderness oportunities.

This often-overlooked area of more than a million acres is rich in wilderness and wildlife. The National Forest is often bypassed for the neighboring Rocky Mountain National Park, yet it offers many of the same recreational and sight-seeing opportunities, at less cost and with fewer crowds.

Roosevelt National Forest was originally part of the Medicine Bow Forest Reserve. Part of that was divided off as the Colorado National Forest in 1910, then renamed in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1932.

The National Forest covers more than a million acres, including 188,458 acres of designated Wilderness, 10,173 acres designated Recreation River (the Cache La Poudre National Recreation River), and 4,928 acres designated Wild River (the Cache La Poudre National Wild River). The designated wilderness areas are Cache La Poudre (9,308 acres), Comanche Peak (66,901 acres), Indian Peaks (31,707 acres plus more in Arapaho NF), James Peak (8,070 acres plus more in Arapaho NF), Rawah (72,472 acres plus more in Routt NF). Over half of Roosevelt National Forest is in Larimer County (647,119 acres) but it also extends into Boulder, Gilpin, and Jefferson counties.

Because this is National Forest rather than a National Park, the rules for camping, biking, horseback riding, and other recreational activities are generally more relaxed. Some activities still require permits, but those are generally less expensive and less restrictive than those of the National Park. There are no entrance fees. Some activities, like hunting, are allowed in much of the National Forest, while they are banned completely in the National Park. Parts of the Forest are designated Wilderness Areas, and rules concerning activities in those areas may be more restrictive.

For details on restrictions and permits, see the Forest Service website.

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