When BLM land was added in 1993, including the rolling gentle tundra of American Flats, the name was changed. The Uncompahgre Wilderness of today combines USFS land with BLM land on its south side. Uncompahgre Peak's unusual broad, flat, tilted summit falls away almost vertically on three sides for as much as than 1,500 feet, a landmark visible from far away. Its fourth side lies gentle and inviting to many climbers. Below Uncompahgre Peak the Wilderness is a mountainous land of towering castles of rock and sweeping ridges that some claim form the most splendid scenery in the state.
Technical climbers find endless routes to challenge their skills.
Water off Wildhorse Peak near the southwest corner combines to create the turbulent and deep Cow Creek Canyon which drops away northward, ragged and densely forested enough to prevent trail building in its depths. South of Wildhorse Peak you'll find American Flats. Numerous forks of the Cimarron River rush out of the central section of Wilderness, flowing north to eventually become one. You'll find a few small lakes with trout, and many trout in the many streams. About 110 miles of trails reach up numerous waterways into this extraordinarily beautiful Wilderness.