Editing Custer County, Colorado (section)

==Geography==
[[Image:hornfromvalley.jpg|left|300px|The Wet Mountain Valley of Custer County is nestled beneath the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|740|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|739|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1.3|sqmi}} (0.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The county is very rugged and would be virtually inaccessible without roads. The lowest point of the county is around {{convert|6000|ft|m}} in elevation, but most of the county is rugged and mountainous. The county seat of [[Westcliffe, Colorado|Westcliffe]] is about {{convert|7800|ft|m}} and along with nearby town [[Silver Cliff, Colorado|Silver Cliff]] lies in the [[Wet Mountain Valley]] which sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west reach heights in excess of {{convert|14000|ft|m}} with [[Crestone Peak]] being the highest at {{convert|14294|ft|m}} and 7th highest [[fourteener]] in [[Colorado]].

A large percentage of the county is National Forest land in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the west side and in the [[Wet Mountains]] on the east. The only lake of size is the [[DeWeese Reservoir]] in the north end of the Wet Mountain Valley.

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Fremont County, Colorado|Fremont County]] - north
*[[Pueblo County, Colorado|Pueblo County]] - east
*[[Huerfano County, Colorado|Huerfano County]] - southeast
*[[Saguache County, Colorado|Saguache County]] - west

===Major highways===
* [[File:Colorado 67.svg|20px]] [[Colorado State Highway 67|State Highway 67]]
* [[File:Colorado 69.svg|20px]] [[Colorado State Highway 69|State Highway 69]]
* [[File:Colorado 78.svg|20px]] [[Colorado State Highway 78|State Highway 78]]
* [[File:Colorado 96.svg|20px]] [[Colorado State Highway 96|State Highway 96]]
* [[File:Colorado 165.svg|20px]] [[Colorado State Highway 165|State Highway 165]]

===National protected areas===
*[[San Isabel National Forest]]
*[[Sangre de Cristo Wilderness]]
*[[Frontier Pathways National Scenic and Historic Byway]]

===Bicycle trails===
*[[TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route]]
*[[Western Express Bicycle Route]]