Mount Zirkel Wilderness

Mount Zirkel Wilderness
Lake of the Crags in Mt. Zirkel Wilderness
Map showing the location of Mount Zirkel Wilderness
Map showing the location of Mount Zirkel Wilderness
LocationJackson / Routt counties, Colorado, USA
Nearest citySteamboat Springs, CO
Coordinates40°44′53″N 106°41′42″W / 40.74806°N 106.69500°W / 40.74806; -106.69500[1]
Area159,935 acres (647.23 km2)
EstablishedJanuary 1, 1980
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service

The Mount Zirkel Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado. The closest city is Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The wilderness is named after Mount Zirkel, the highest peak in the range at 12,182 feet (3,713 m), which itself is named after German geologist Ferdinand Zirkel.[2][3][4]

Some areas within the wilderness display bedrock composed of metamorphic schists with large garnet crystals.[5]

  1. ^ "Mount Zirkel Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  2. ^ "Mount Zirkel Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  3. ^ "Mount Zirkel Wilderness". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  4. ^ "Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area". Colorado Wilderness. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  5. ^ Pearson, Mark; Fielder, John (September 1, 2002). The Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas (2nd ed.). John Fielder Publishing. ISBN 9781565795167.