Blue Range Wilderness

The 29,304 acres of the Blue Range Wilderness are up against the state line with Arizona, and on the other side of that line is the Blue Range Primitive Area. This is a large, wild, dry area straddling the Mogollon Rim at the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. These are stark, steep and narrow rock-walled canyons, sometimes dropping 1,000 feet from the upper rim to the arroyo in the bottom. While the lower elevations are heavily covered in juniper and pinon, the higher elevations are heavily covered in ponderosa, spruce and fir. You'll also find some interspersed open meadows and small stands of aspen, but only a few small parks. The mountains are steep, tall and sharp with ragged rock towers scattered all around.

If you want to go hiking here, this is a water-challenged area. Most of the trails have few markers and a serious lack of maintenance. Probably the best introduction to the beauty and solitude of the Blue Range is a hike on the 8.8 mile WS Mountain Trail. It rises up through the rugged Pueblo Creek and Bear Creek drainages from the Pueblo Park Campground. When you reach the top of the hill, the views are incredible. And Arizona is just a little bit further on...