North Crestone Colorado – Sangre de Cristo Wilderness

North Crestone Colorado

October on the North Crestone creek route in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness of Colorado.

…the Sangre de Cristo mountains are fault-block mountains and are no less grand. Sharply uplifted blocks and high pointed pinnacles characterize the Sangre de Cristo mountains creating one of the most stunning Colorado landscapes. The third largest wilderness in the state, the Sangre de Cristo wilderness is named for the Sangre de Cristo mountains, of which the northern and most rugged portion it contains.

Wilderness

The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is part of the 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. This System of lands provides clean air, water, and habitat critical for rare and endangered plants and animals. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities like hiking, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, horse packing, bird watching, stargazing, and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. You play an important role in helping to “secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness” as called for by the Congress of the United States through the Wilderness Act of 1964. Please follow the requirements outlined below and use Leave No Trace techniques when visiting the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness to ensure protection of this unique area.

The trees up here along North Crestone are, naturally, like those all over the world. Come the fall, they respond to the decreasing amount of sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll. Eventually, a tree stops producing chlorophyll. When that happens, the carotenoid already in the leaves can finally show through. The leaves become a bright rainbow of glowing yellows, sparkling oranges and warm browns.

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