Raggeds Wilderness Trails

Raggeds Wilderness Trails

No more descriptive name exists in Colorado than the Ragged Mountains. Prominent from CO 133 over McClure Pass, the polished rock flanks of the Raggeds soar to a jagged, knife-edged ridge. Complementing these inaccessible peaks, the Dark Canyon of Anthracite Creek roars below, carving a deep and mysterious gorge through surrounding benchlands of aspen and spruce. Colorful peaks and prominent intrusive dikes of the Ruby Range angle north through the area’s eastern end, perpendicular to the Raggeds. Capping the diversity of landforms in this area, the Oh-Be-Joyful Valley, one of Colorado’s loveliest glacial valleys, sweeps out from the range toward Crested Butte and the Slate River. The aspen forests north of Kebler Pass comprise one of the Raggeds’ most memorable scenes. In fall, aspen groves on the benches above Anthracite Creek create a patchwork quilt of gold and green as aspen trees change color en masse, until only the last stragglers cling to the green of summer. Sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form the peaks of the wilderness, with the distinctive crimson red of the Maroon Formation tinting the Ruby Range. This geologic heritage also created the striking bands of gray and ebony along the valley walls of Oh-Be-Joyful and others. This trail guide includes descriptions of Oh-Be-Joyful Pass, Yule Creek and Yule Pass, Anthracite Creek/Silver Basin, Raspberry Creek, and Marble to Anthracite Creek.

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