Please register or login . The water has cut a deep and tortured canyon into granitic bedrock, typical of the Front Range of Colorado, to join the Main Fork of the Cache la Poudre River which forms the northern boundary of the Wilderness. Elevations range from about 6,100 feet to 8,300 feet, and a dry climate keeps this area snow-free for much of the year, especially on south facing slopes. Douglas fir, ponderosa and lodgepole pine dominate the forest. State Highway 14 along the Main Fork of the Cache la Poudre River sees many campers and even more fly-casting anglers.
Trout fishing gets as good as it comes in the state here.
Once inside the boundary of this ragged Wilderness, where hiking rates as strenuous, you'll find the ground marked by only one short maintained path, about three miles in the northern section called the Mount McConnel Trail. From Fort Collins, CO, take State Route 14 north and west about 30 miles to Mount McConnel Trailhead. Click here to find out how. Copyright Rodale, Inc. 2001.