While there are hundreds upon hundreds of miles of hiking trails in the Front Range, one must not lose sight of the fact that the range also includes six ski areas, four of which have international appeal (Winter Park, Keystone, Arapaho Basin, Loveland) and two (Eldora, Echo Mountain) which are a bit more low-key and appeal mostly to local residents. As a consequence, sub-ranges such as the Kenosha Mountains, Tarryall Mountains and Rampart Range do not experience the visitation pressure of their northern counterparts. These areas are more likely to be frequented by residents of the second-largest population center, the Colorado Springs metropolitan area. The southern Front Range, with the exception of the Pikes Peak area which has its own stand-alone fourteener, is somewhat less popular, although it has its share of devotees, many of whom can't be bothered with the crowds at the more popular areas to the north. The central Front Range, which sports four of the six fourteeners, is also highly popular, in part due to its proximity to greater Denver and easy access from Interstate Highway 70. The highest paved automobile road in North America leads to the summit of Mount Evans (14,246 feet), the closest fourteener to Denver, only 35 miles straight-line distance from the city center and easily visible from most parts of the metropolitan area.Īside from Rocky Mountain National Park, which has 350 miles of trails and 60 summits over 12,000 feet, and which is the third most visited national park in the United States, some of the most popular areas for hiking and other recreation are the Indian Peaks Wilderness area and its southern extension, the James Peak Wilderness area, both in the northern Front Range. Since this means easy access for millions of people, parts of the Front Range are feeling significant pressure, although there are still many places where hikers can find solitude and almost complete absence of human traffic. With such a diversity of geographic distribution and range of geologic characteristics, and being conveniently located close to the urban corridor which comprises about 85% of the state's population, the Front Range can provide a lifetime of recreational opportunities. Contained within the boundaries of the Front Range are 12 designated wilderness areas, dispersed among four national forests and one national park (Rocky Mountain N.P.). Some of the most notable of these include, not necessarily in order of importance or prominence, the Indian Peaks, the Never Summer Mountains, the Mummy Range, the Chicago Peaks, the Pikes Peak Massif and the Kenosha Mountains. The Front Range is generally divided into three secondary ranges (north, central and south) which in turn are further broken down into tertiary ranges or massifs. In fact, Grays Peak is the highest elevation on the entire Continental Divide of North America. There are six fourteeners included in this range with the summits of two of them ( Grays Peak and Torreys Peak) perched squarely on the Continental Divide, the only fourteeners in the Rocky Mountains to share this distinction, a fact not widely known to many people. The Continental Divide meanders through parts of the Front Range such that its mountains are distributed over both the Pacific and Atlantic watersheds. From west to east, the Front Range averages about 60 miles wide and encompasses a number of sub-ranges. On the east it is defined by a line of foothills that follow the western edge of the urbanized corridor centered on Interstate Highway 25, from south of Colorado Springs, through the metropolitan area of Denver, to Fort Collins. This large range of mountains extends northward about 175 miles from the Arkansas River Valley west of the city of Pueblo to the Wyoming state line. Northern Front Range - Indian Peaks and James Peak Wilderness Areas.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |