Wilderness Area Government information and links are at the bottom of this page. About 35 miles of the Continental Divide lie well above a sprawling forestland that provides ideal habitats for huge numbers of elk and mule deer. La Garita's gentle alpine terrain offers refuge to thriving herds of elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep.
Hikers are likely to encounter elk in the open alpine bowls along the divide.
Many trailheads open onto approximately 175 miles of pathways, almost all especially well suited for horsepacking. Large expanses of untracked forests blanket La Garita's lower elevations, providing habitat for pine marten and other wilderness dependent species. The primeval spruce and fir forests of Wason Park and Silver Park on the south slopes of the La Garita Mountains comprise a singularly important undisturbed habitat. Like much of the San Juans, the La Garita Mountains consist of multiple layers of volcanic rocks. The most recent were laid down approximately 25 million years ago in deep layers of highly fluid basalt lava flows.