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Ranger district in the CPW Southeast Region
Leadville Ranger District, San Isabel NF hunting access and seasons
National forest ranger district in Lake County and Chaffee County; 280,143 acres.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall (CC BY 4.0)
Getting to Leadville Ranger District, San Isabel NF
Parking, trailheads and gates near Leadville Ranger District, San Isabel NF
- Mount Elbert TrailheadTrailhead · 0.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Mount Elbert Trailhead ParkingParking · 0.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.8 mi from the centreDirections
- South Elbert TrailheadParking · 1.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Moache Fisherman ParkingParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Inside the Leadville Ranger District listing
280,143 acres is the figure the USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics gives for Leadville Ranger District. Rank by area: 27th of the 32 ranger districts we cover.
Species the agency lists here: Deer, Pronghorn, Elk.
From the agency page (USDA Forest Service); retrieved 2026-11-04, checked November 5, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Leadville Ranger District, San Isabel NF
Access rules on Leadville Ranger District
The Forest Service runs the land, CPW runs the hunting: Colorado licenses and seasons apply on Leadville Ranger District. Keep 150 yards from homes, campsites and developed recreation sites before shooting, and never shoot across a forest road or water (36 CFR 261.10(d)). Pick up the Motor Vehicle Use Map; routes not on it are closed to vehicles.
USFS hunting and shooting page: Hunting, fishing and shooting opportunities of all kinds can be found on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands.
Hunting opportunities include small game birds or waterfowl on the grasslands and hunting deer, pronghorn or elk on the forested districts.
Cast your line from the banks or a boat for some great fishing! Fishing opportunities include lake and pond fishing, river and stream fishing and ice fishing.
In general, recreational shooting is allowed on most National Forest System lands. However, discharging a firearm is always prohibited within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area; into or within a cave; across or on a National Forest System road or a nearby body of water or in any manner or place where any person or property is exposed to injury or damage (36 CFR 261.10(d)).
From the agency source; checked November 5, 2026.
Leadville Ranger District route and map files
Mapped centre: 39.1033, -106.4003.
point from CPW Hunting Atlas Land Management (COMaP) Forest Service polygons inside the USFS EDW Ranger Districts boundary (polygon centroid of the largest part); checked November 5, 2026.
Unit map facts for Leadville Ranger District
Check the license against the unit; Leadville Ranger District falls in 4 GMUs: GMU 37, GMU 48, GMU 49, GMU 481.
Bull elk hunters in GMU 37 must count points before shooting. CWD sampling is required for some rifle elk hunt codes in GMU 37 and GMU 49. The lion season closes when group 3 and 8 reaches its limit.
| GMU | Covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GMU 37 | Summit, Grand, Lake | elk antler point rule, elk CWD testing, lion group 3 |
| GMU 48 | Lake, Chaffee | lion group 8, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 49 | Park, Lake, Chaffee | elk CWD testing, lion group 8, spring turkey OTC |
| GMU 481 | Chaffee | lion group 8, spring turkey OTC |
There is no property-level harvest figure for Leadville Ranger District; GMU 49 topped the 2024 unit tables with 378 elk.
| GMU | Animal | Taken | Hunters | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMU 37 | Elk | 200 | 1,955 | 10% |
| GMU 37 | Deer | 112 | 338 | 33% |
| GMU 37 | Pronghorn | 7 | 40 | 16% |
| GMU 37 | Black bear | 8 | – | – |
| GMU 48 | Elk | 93 | 339 | 27% |
| GMU 48 | Deer | 54 | 187 | 29% |
| GMU 48 | Pronghorn | 4 | 29 | 15% |
| GMU 48 | Black bear | 4 | – | – |
| GMU 49 | Elk | 378 | 971 | 39% |
| GMU 49 | Deer | 343 | 729 | 47% |
| GMU 49 | Pronghorn | 2 | 24 | 7% |
| GMU 49 | Black bear | 1 | – | – |
| GMU 481 | Elk | 179 | 494 | 36% |
| GMU 481 | Deer | 128 | 322 | 40% |
| GMU 481 | Pronghorn | 13 | 29 | 46% |
| GMU 481 | Black bear | 3 | – | – |
GMU overlay from the CPW Big Game GMU layer; unit rules from the 2026 Big Game brochure; 2024 elk harvest by GMU, 2024 deer harvest by GMU, 2024 pronghorn harvest by GMU, 2024 bear harvest by GMU; checked November 5, 2026.
Leadville Ranger District: which hunts are open when
37 big game season rows from the 2026 brochures are valid in the units of Leadville Ranger District. No draw is needed for the elk OTC rows. Not listed: 14 private-only or RFW rows. Rows for big game not on the Leadville Ranger District list (21) are left out.
| Species | Method | Sex | License | Opens | Closes | Units here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | Limited, nonresident | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Archery | either sex | OTC, residents | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | bull | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | cow | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Muzzleloader | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Rifle | either sex | Limited draw | Oct 14, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited, split | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 49 |
| Elk | Second rifle | bull | OTC | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited, split | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 49 |
| Elk | Third rifle | bull | OTC | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 37 |
| Elk | Rifle | bull | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Elk | Rifle | cow | Limited, split | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 49 |
| Elk | Rifle | either sex | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 37 |
| Deer | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 48, 481 |
| Deer | Archery | either sex | Limited draw | Sep 2, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | 37, 49 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited, early | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 48, 481 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 37, 49 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Deer | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | 37, 49 |
| Deer | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Nov 18, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | 37 |
| Pronghorn | Archery | buck | Limited draw | Aug 15, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Pronghorn | Archery | doe | Limited draw | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | buck | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Pronghorn | Muzzleloader | doe | Limited draw | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 29, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | buck | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
| Pronghorn | Rifle | doe | Limited draw | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | 37, 48, 49, 481 |
Season rows and hunt codes from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure, the 2026 Small Game and Waterfowl brochure, the Turkey brochure and the Mountain Lion brochure; property access dates still apply; checked November 5, 2026.
Counties of Leadville Ranger District
Administratively, Leadville Ranger District sits under San Isabel National Forest.
| County | Federal acres |
|---|---|
| Lake County | 161,168 |
| Chaffee County | 118,975 |
From the agency source, USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics; checked November 5, 2026.
Other public ground within reach of Leadville Ranger District
Head 4 miles east and you reach Box Creek STL. Around it on the map: 3 trust land parcels and 3 SWAs. Within 25 miles but not open to hunters: Reddy State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting), Hardeman State Wildlife Area (Fishing Easement) (CPW lists no hunting) and Granite State Wildlife Area (CPW lists no hunting).
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Creek STL | State trust land | 629 | Lake | 4 miles | east |
| Crystal Lake STL | State trust land | 467 | Lake | 6 miles | northeast |
| Clear Creek Reservoir SWA | SWA | 500 | Chaffee | 10 miles | southeast |
| Paddock SWA | SWA | 1,300 | Lake | 12 miles | northeast |
| Heckendorf SWA | SWA | 720 | Chaffee | 17 miles | southeast |
| Treasurevault Mountain STL | State trust land | 320 | Park | 19 miles | northeast |
Point: CPW Hunting Atlas Land Management (COMaP) Forest Service polygons inside the USFS EDW Ranger Districts boundary (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Closed places from lands.json closed rows. Statewide public land map.
Stores, processors and towns for Leadville Ranger District
From the Leadville Ranger District point, Leadville sits 11 miles away. Aspen, 24 miles out, is larger, with 6,556 people in 2024. For licenses in person, the Salida CPW office is 45 miles off.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadville | Lake | 2,624 | 11 miles | northeast |
| Fairplay | Park | 755 | 23 miles | east |
| Aspen | Pitkin | 6,556 | 24 miles | west |
| Minturn | Eagle | 955 | 30 miles | north |
| Hartsel | Park | – | 33 miles | east |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); CPW offices from the CPW Contact Us page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 5, 2026.
Leadville Ranger District: when the legal day starts and ends
The CPW brochures print Denver sunrise and sunset tables with town offsets; the times for Leadville Ranger District here are worked out with the NOAA solar formula for its own location.
| Date | Opener | Sunrise | Sunset | Elk window | Duck window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Pronghorn bow opener | 6:18 a.m. | 8:03 p.m. | 5:48 a.m. to 8:33 p.m. | 5:48 a.m. to 8:03 p.m. |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:34 a.m. | 7:37 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 8:07 p.m. | 6:04 a.m. to 7:37 p.m. |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Muzzleloader opens | 6:43 a.m. | 7:21 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:51 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 7:21 p.m. |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:02 a.m. | 6:47 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 7:17 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 6:47 p.m. |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Second rifle opens | 7:23 a.m. | 6:16 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 6:46 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 6:16 p.m. |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Lion season opens | 6:57 a.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:21 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure and the Small Game and Waterfowl brochure; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); checked November 5, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
What the region around Leadville Ranger District looks like
Leadville Ranger District (San Isabel National Forest): the nearest public range, then clubs
Park County holds the CPW-listed range nearest Leadville Ranger District (San Isabel National Forest): Park County Shooting Range (32 miles). After the public range come the nearest clubs within 30 miles.
From the CPW Shooting Range Finder, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 5, 2026.
Leadville Ranger District: questions hunters ask
Which GMU numbers does Leadville Ranger District fall in?
The ground lies in GMU 37, GMU 48, GMU 49 and GMU 481, and a big game license must be valid for the unit.
Which county lines does Leadville Ranger District cross?
Lake County and Chaffee County; the county page lists the nearby ground.
How do I get an elk tag for Leadville Ranger District?
Yes: 3 over-the-counter elk rows are valid in these units, for example archery (OTC, residents).
Which animals does the agency list for Leadville Ranger District?
On record: deer, pronghorn and elk. Seasons and licenses still decide what is open.
Where do I buy gas and ice near Leadville Ranger District?
Leadville is 11 miles from the record point.
Do elk point rules or CWD testing apply on Leadville Ranger District?
Elk point rules: GMU 37. CWD heads must be submitted from selected rifle elk hunt codes in GMU 37 and GMU 49, at no charge.
What must I wear on Leadville Ranger District during rifle season?
At least 500 square inches of solid orange or pink above the waist and a hat; archers hunting during rifle seasons wear it too.
Whom should I phone with questions about Leadville Ranger District?
CPW Salida Office in Salida, (719) 530-5520 (45 miles away).
When must I stop shooting on Leadville Ranger District each evening?
6:09 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. for big game on November 7, 2026 (Lake County, NOAA solar formula). See the table above for other dates.
Can deer or elk be baited on Leadville Ranger District?
No. Deer and elk may not be hunted over bait; migratory bird hunters also follow the federal 10-day baited-area rule.
Which pass must I carry on Leadville Ranger District?
Colorado licenses and seasons apply, and CPW sells them; there is no separate federal hunting pass.
Where can I read the source for Leadville Ranger District?
Read the official source before each trip.
What size is Leadville Ranger District on the agency count?
The USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics lists 280,143 acres.
Wrap-up for Leadville Ranger District
Snow and mud close roads in Colorado without much notice; check access to Leadville Ranger District before the drive.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Checked November 5, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).