Colorado S Weminuche And South San Juan Wilderness Areas

Fully updated and revised, this new edition now includes trails in the South San Juan Wilderness Area, adding up to more than forty comprehensive trail descriptions for Colorado's Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness areas.

In 2002 William Hood began a solo journey across the Weminuche Wilderness Area of the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado. Alone, with only a backpack and some supplies, William Hood set out along the continental divide for a 100 mile trek. In recounting this extraordinary journey, Hood also explores Coloradoâ¿¿s varied history, relating it to his own personal experiences. Encountering guardian angels, magnificent wildlife, and angry, threatening weather, Hood weaves an enriching and comical story about what it means to be human in todayâ¿¿s modern world. Searching for a Perfect State of Colorado looks deeply into the issues facing each person today - balancing personal harmony with outside influences. William Hoodâ¿¿s enlightening journey reminds all of us that we are all still searching for a better existence; a perfect state of mind in the perfect state of Colorado.

A companion to The Western San Juan Mountains (originally published in 1996), The Eastern San Juan Mountains details the physical environment, biological communities, human history, and points of interest in this rich and diverse mountain system. A natural division between the eastern and western slopes of the San Juans is the north-south line that runs approximately through Lake City, south of the crossing of the Piedra River by US Highway 160. In this super guidebook, twenty-seven contributors--all experts in their fields--artfully bring the geology, hydrology, animal and plant life, human histories, and travel routes of these eastern slopes to life. Designed to inform researchers, educators, and students about the region's complex systems, The Eastern San Juan Mountains also serves as an informative guidebook to accompany visitors along their travels on the Silver Thread National Scenic Byway, which stretches between South Fork and Lake City. The Eastern San Juan Mountains deserves a place next to The Western San Juan Mountains on the bookshelf of every naturalist, researcher, resident, educator, student, and tourist seeking a greater understanding of this marvelous place and its history.

Discover 69 wilderness areas--including seven new ones--showcasing everything from mountains to canyons, rushing rivers to desert landscapesA comprehensive guide to Colorado's wild areas Totally updated and revised Includes 74 maps and 90 photosMuch has changed in the landscape of Colorado's wilderness designations since the first edition of this book appeared in 1992. At the newly designated Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, visitors peer into the depths of this narrow canyon that drops 2,000 feet to the Gunnison River below--and some choose to follow rugged backcountry routes down to the inner canyon. A trail in Spanish Peaks Wilderness, established in 2000, leads up one of these twin sentinels that rise above the edge of the high plains. Nestled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and standing up to 750 feet high, the dunes of the newly enlarged Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve are the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. Other recent additions to Colorado's protected lands include the Castle Peak Wilderness Study Area, Bull Gulch Wilderness Study Area, San Luis Hills Wilderness Study Area, and Demaree Canyon Wilderness Area. Colorado is one of the nation's primary adventure-travel destinations, and both visitors and locals will find this book the most all-inclusive reference available to the state's wildness areas. From the state's high peaks to its spectacular canyons and deserts, Exploring Colorado's Wild Areas provides detailed information on seasons, flora and fauna, geology, history and activities.

Includes Sangre de Cristo, La Garita, South San Juan, and Weminuche Wilderness Areas.