San Isabel National Forest spans 1,120,233 acres in central Colorado and has been administered with Pike National Forest since 1973. Stretching across major mountain country, it includes the Sawatch Range, Collegiate Peaks, and Sangre de Cristo Range. Its defining feature is elevation: the forest contains 19 of Colorado’s 53 fourteeners, including Mount Elbert, the state’s highest point. Broad forested valleys give way to some of the loftiest mountains in the Rockies, and much of its protected backcountry lies within seven designated wilderness areas. As one of Colorado’s eleven national forests, it holds an important place in the state’s geography and protected public lands.