Never Summer Wilderness

Never Summer Wilderness, designated by the United States Congress in 1980, now encompasses a total of 21,090 acres. Never Summer Wilderness shares its eastern boundary with Rocky Mountain National Park and includes diverse landscapes from forested ridges to steep tundra ranging in elevation from 8,900 to 12,520 feet. Spruce, fir and lodgepole pine blanket the lower elevations. Never Summer Wilderness receives large amounts of rain and snow and provides water to three major rivers: the Colorado, the North Platte, and the Cache la Poudre. Above 10,000 feet, trees grow old and large in ravines that contain excess available moisture. The Bowen Gulch Trail travels about five miles into some of the oldest Spruce and fir trees in the area. Various ponds and bogs in the north of the Wilderness provide rare habitats for: wood frogs, bog bean, and pygmy shrew. Moose have been reintroduced successfully to the area and several lakes and streams provide habitat for trout. Never Summer Wilderness offers about 20 miles of trails that lead up gulches and traverse the Continental Divide on two high passes. This area is the scenic backdrop to portions of Trail Ridge Road which travels through Rocky Mountain National Park. Always use Leave No Trace techniques to help keep this area wild, clean, and pristine.