Raggeds Wilderness

Raggeds Wilderness covers 65,443 acres spanning Gunnison and White River National Forests. Elevations range from 7,000 to about 13,000 feet. Prominent rocky slopes point upward to a serrated ridge which gives Raggeds Wilderness its name. Ragged Mountain in the northern half rises to 12,094 feet, but other scenic peaks in the area summit higher.

Some points of interest in the Raggeds Wilderness are: Dark Canyon, Chair Mountain, Marcellina Mountain, Mount Justice, Treasury Mountain, and Oh-Be-Joyful Pass. Anthracite Creek passes through the deep Dark Canyon in the heart of the Wilderness. Oh-Be-Joyful Pass (11,740’), with the long sweep of Oh-Be-Joyful Creek Valley below it, was added to the area in 1993. You'll have to ford the Slate River to access the seven miles of the Oh-Be-Joyful Pass Trail.

A dense coniferous forest covers the creek bottoms. During autumn you'll see expanses of aspens ablaze in shimmering yellow with rock bands of red, gray, and black rising above a mix of gold and green. There are more than 90 miles of constructed trails in this Wilderness. View a Raggeds Wilderness brochure or Map.

Always use Leave No Trace techniques to help keep this area wild, clean, and pristine.

General Information

Trailheads/trails that access Raggeds Wilderness at Gunnison National Forest:

Oh-Be-Joyful Trailhead 

• Oh-Be-Joyful Trail #835 (#835 brochure) begins at the Silver Basin Trail #834. (OBJ Pass Trail #835 becomes OBJ Trail #836 when it crosses into the Gunnison Ranger District)

• Oh-Be Joyful Trail #836 (3.5 miles long) begins at Raggeds Wilderness southeast boundary at Oh-Be-Joyful Trailhead and travels west along Oh-Be-Joyful Creek ends at Daisy Pass Trail #404.

Erickson Springs, with both Munsey Ruby Stock Driveway Trail #831and Dark Canyon Trail #830 start here. Dark Canyon connects with the North Anthracite trail roughly 4.5 miles from Erickson Springs trailhead or continues up towards Horse Ranch Park. 
 
Ruby-Anthracite  - just a few miles up Kebler Pass road (County road 12) from Erickson Springs, the Ruby Anthracite Trail #836 cuts through meadows/ beaver ponds and aspen stands below Marcellina, before a steep descent into the Ruby-Anthracite Canyon. The trail crosses the creek and connects back with Dark Canyon Trail near the top of the Devil's Staircase, roughly a mile and a half from the junction with the North Anthracite Trail.
 
Horse Ranch Park - the Horse Ranch Park meadows are the start of the Dyke Trail #838. (area is unavailable)The non-Wilderness Dyke trail cuts over the rock formation known as the Dyke and ends at Lake Irwin. From the Dyke Trailhead in Horse Ranch Park, there is also Dyke Creek Trail #837, which splits off to the north from the Dyke trail approximately a mile from the trailhead and enters the Wilderness; this trail connects in to the Silver Basin Trail, just before Gold Creek and allows for some great views of the Beckwiths, Ruby Range and fall foliage.
 
From Horse Ranch, you can get on the Dark Canyon Trail #830 which leads into Dyke Creek then splits into either Silver Basin Trail #834, or continues down to Erickson Springs.
 

National Forest Recreation Map- North Gunnison (pdf)  (Zoomify)

Topo maps

Forest Service Topography Maps: These maps overlay Forest Service assets, such as roads, trails, and campgrounds, on USGS's topographic maps. They are available for download by quadrangle.

Buy maps online

National Forest Store: Offers a full, nationwide selection of National Forest, Ranger District, Wilderness, and Specialty Maps for purchase online or by phone, fax, and mail.

Colorado’s Fourteen Thousand Foot Peaks (14ers)

Fourteen Thousand Foot Peaks on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest.

Find more information about climbing Colorado’s peaks at the Rocky Mountain Region 14ers page.

Wilderness.net

Go to Wilderness.net for additional maps and information about Wilderness.