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Humbolt in the background - 8.95
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Description
- The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area extends 70 miles along the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. It includes most of the range north from Blanca Peak to Salida. The region encompasses 226,455 acres and four fourteeners. The Crestone Group including Crestone Peak (14,294 feet), Crestone Needle (14,197 feet), Kit Carson Peak (14,165 feet) and Humboldt Peak (14,064 feet) lie within the wilderness.
Recreation - A majority of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range is designated wilderness but there are a few four wheel drive roads that go through a designated wilderness corridor to the ridge line. There are some beautiful alpine lakes to hike to Lake Creek Campground is by the northeast boundary, south of there, on Highway 69, is Alvarado Campground. OHaver Campground is near the northwest wilderness boundary. North Crestone Creek Campground is northeast of Crestone and the only other campground on the western side is Piñon Flats, which is in the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. Climate - Mountainous terrain influences the climate visitors find in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Elevations range from 8,000 feet to over 14,000 feet at the top of several mountain peaks. In general, the climate at low elevations is cool and arid while the high country is cold and humid. Average precipitation varies as does snowfall. Summer is short and frost may occur anytime in high elevations. Annual temperature extremes range from 90 degrees in summer to 30 degrees below zero in winter. Rapid weather changes, with temperature changes of 40 degrees in periods as short as four to six hours, occur frequently. Location -
The Sangre De Cristo Wilderness is in south-central Colorado. It starts just south of Salida and ends near Alamosa. Highway 69 gives access to the eastern side, while Highway 17 and U.S. Highway 285 are the major roads on the west side of the Sangres.
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