Our Mission

The Indian Peaks and James Peak Wilderness areas are located in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, only a short one-hour drive west of Boulder and Denver, Colorado. They are among the most heavily visited and utilized wilderness areas in the United States, and face an increasing risk of degradation due to high levels of visitation with over 150,000 visitors per season.

 

Since it was founded in 1985, the IPWA has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service Boulder Ranger District in a collaborative stewardship to preserve and protect these areas.  To learn more, visit the Our History page.

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The Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance (IPWA) is a 100% volunteer-run non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with no paid staff and is managed by an elected board of directors and officers. The IPWA achieves this mission by managing several programs aligned within its four strategic goals of Wilderness Restoration, Wilderness Education, Wilderness Advocacy, and Wilderness Patrolling.​To learn more, visit the What We Do page. We are committed to fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization and community, read more on our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page.

 

 

In the 2021-2022 winter season and 2022 summer season:

 We had 120 volunteers for summer and winter patrols

who conducted 377 summer patrols and 118 winter patrols hiking over 2,700 miles

and contributed 2,596 volunteer hours,

totaling over $76,000 value to the Forest Service (based on the based on the 2022 value of $31.51 per volunteer hour in Colorado from Philanthropy Colorado).

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For more information, review our 2022 Annual Report (published July 2023).

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