Colorado · Hiking · La Garita Wilderness · Near South Fork

Wheeler Loop

Wheeler LoopPhoto: C. K. Hartman, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
2.5 mi
round trip
56 ft
climb
11,915 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Wheeler Loop open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Rio Grande National Forest. It doesn't name Wheeler Loop, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Rio Grande National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Wheeler Loop is a 2.5-mile out-and-back hike in the La Garita Wilderness, part of the Divide Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado. The trail is managed by the Forest Service and is rated easy, with a total elevation gain of 56 feet from the low point at 11,141 feet to the high at 11,915 feet. The route is a short, low-elevation walk that fits easily into a day in the wilderness. It is a natural-surface trail, and horses are allowed. Bikes are not. The trailhead is at Wheeler Trailhead, and the route is open year-round. For a longer outing, Wason Park Cut-Off lies about a mile away and Machin Basin about 1.1 miles off. Hansen Mill Campground, roughly 5.6 miles away, offers a place to stay, and South Fork Saguache Creek, about 6.2 miles away, is a paddling option.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Hansen Mill Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 5.6 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Blimpie

    Fast food

    On your way back · 17 mi
  • If it rains

    Creede Underground Mining Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 8.2 mi from South Fork

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in South Fork

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

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Wason Park Cut-OffPhoto: snowpeak, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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