Mount Zirkel Wilderness | |
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Lake of the Crags in Mt. Zirkel Wilderness | |
Location | Jackson / Routt counties, Colorado, USA |
Nearest city | Steamboat Springs, CO |
Coordinates | 40°44′53″N 106°41′42″W / 40.74806°N 106.69500°W[1] |
Area | 159,935 acres (647.23 km2) |
Established | January 1, 1980 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The Mount Zirkel Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado. The closest city is Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The wilderness is named after Mount Zirkel, the highest peak in the range at 12,182 feet (3,713 m), which itself is named after German geologist Ferdinand Zirkel.[2][3][4]
Some areas within the wilderness display bedrock composed of metamorphic schists with large garnet crystals.[5]