Mount Sneffels Wilderness
Mount Sneffels
Map showing the location of Mount Sneffels Wilderness
Map showing the location of Mount Sneffels Wilderness
LocationOuray / San Miguel counties, Colorado, USA
Nearest cityOuray, CO
Coordinates38°0′35″N 107°51′41″W / 38.00972°N 107.86139°W / 38.00972; -107.86139[1]
Area16,566 acres (67.04 km2)
EstablishedJanuary 1, 1980
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service

The Mount Sneffels Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the town of Ouray. The area is named for Mt. Sneffels, which at 14,150 feet (4,310 m) is a prominent fourteener in the San Juan Mountains. The word "Sneffels" is likely an Americanization of the Old Norse word for Snæfell "snow mountain," which is also the namesake of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Snæfellsjökull volcano in Iceland.[2][3][4]

Colorado with Mount Sneffels Wilderness in red highlighted
Panorama of the Sneffels sub-range of the San Juan Mountains, photographed from Dallas Divide pass. Most of these peaks are within the Sneffels Wilderness.

References

  1. ^ "Mount Sneffels Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  2. ^ "Mount Sneffels Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  3. ^ "Wilderness Areas". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  4. ^ "Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area". Colorado Wilderness. Retrieved August 12, 2012.


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