| Located in the Roosevelt National Forest, the Comanche Peak Wilderness area was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System by Congress in 1980. With 66,791-acres, the area was named after its prominent 12,702 foot peak, which is its highest point.From this high point the elevations drops to a low point of 8,000 feet. At these lower elevations one will find prominent stands of ponderosa pine and aspen, which give way to forest of lodgepole pine and limber pine as visitors make their way up the flank on the Mummy Range. On top is a huge expanse of gentle alpine tundra, characterized by high mountain cirques.Elk, mule deer, black bear, coyote, bobcat, and smaller mammals inhabit the area. Chickadees, hummingbirds, grey jays, and hawks are also present. Streams contain native cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow, brook, and brown trout.Seventy miles of scenic trails provide access into the area; many of these provide access into the untamed wildness of Rocky Mountain National Park, which borders the Comanche Peak Wilderness to the south. To the north and west the wilderness is bounded by 10 miles of the beautiful cascading waters of the wild and scenic Cache la Poudre River. To the east along Bulwark Ridge, the wilderness bounds a roadless are containing thousands of acres of old-growth forests. This area was originally excluded from the Wilderness area to make a corridor for a highway that would stem from Big Thompson Canyon to Pingree Park. This highway would provide access to a proposed winter resort near Hourglass Reservoir. |
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