Mount Massive Wilderness

Mount Massive Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in Colorado’s Sawatch Range, established by Congress in 1980 and encompassing 30,540 acres. Jointly managed by the United States Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service, it includes most of its land in San Isabel National Forest and a smaller portion in the Leadville National Fish Hatchery. Named for Mount Massive, Colorado’s second-highest peak, it rises from forested valleys to alpine terrain near the Continental Divide. Its unusual significance lies in being the only federally designated wilderness area within the National Fish Hatchery System, preserved as a protected high-mountain landscape for backcountry recreation and scenic conservation.

Leadville North, Colorado · United States