History of the Flat Tops Wilderness

People are known to have visited the Flat Tops for over 8,500 years, perhaps because of its life-giving beauty. When Euro-Americans arrived in in this area in the 1860s most of it was occupied by Ute Indian tribes, whose rights were limited by the March 2, 1868 treaty, under whose terms the Ute retained only that portion of the Colorado Territory west of longitude 107° west (roughly a North South line that would pass through present day Aspen and Steamboat Springs). However the Homestead act of 1861 allowed white people to move into Ute Territory, creating tensions between the two groups.  These tensions escalated, ultimately resulting in the “Meeker Massacre” of 1879, after which the Utes were forcibly removed from western Colorado by federal troops. (More information on this topic can be found in the book “Troubled Trails” by Bob Silbernagel).

The National Park Service was created in 1916, and the Forest Service, concerned about losing acreage to national parks, sought to develop recreation areas. In 1919 the U.S. Forest Service hired Arthur Carhart as its first full-time landscape architect. One of Carhart’s first assignments was to survey a road around Trappers Lake in the White River National Forest in Colorado, and to plot several home sites on the lake shore. Carhart visited Trappers Lake, but one evening after Pennsylvania fishermen admonished him to leave the lake alone, he walked back to his campsite and had an epiphany. Prior to that time no U.S. Forest Service official had conceived of leaving land in its natural state.1 This was a bold suggestion for such a young employee, but in 1920 Trappers Lake was designated as an area to be kept roadless and undeveloped – it remains so to this day. Trappers Lake is now known as the cradle of the American wilderness- land without roads or development . In the fall of 1919 when Carhart shared his thoughts with the regional forester in Denver. Another young forester sat in on that meeting. Aldo Leopold would take Carhart’s idea and implement it in southwest New Mexico, creating the Gila Wilderness in 1924, the first such wilderness in the world.

It is no wonder Carhart found the area so entrancing: behind Trappers Lake loom majestic volcanic cliffs, and beyond them the vast sub-alpine terrain reluctantly yields to alpine tundra. Approximately 110 lakes and ponds, many unnamed, dot the country above and below the numerous flat-topped cliffs. Roughly 100 miles of fishable streams can be found in today’s Flat Tops Wilderness.

“Authentic Experiences”

Twelve years later, The Flat Tops Primitive Area was established on March 5, 1932. Although the primitive area designation was not viewed as a general measure for wilderness protection, it was seen as an interim way to protect key lands. On September 3, 1964, the United States did something that no other nation had ever done before. They created “The Wilderness Act”. The act states:

“In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States . . . leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”

The 235,406 acre Flat Tops Wilderness was established on December 12, 1975 and is the second largest Wilderness area in Colorado. This Wilderness area is for your use and enjoyment, but you have an obligation to leave it unimpaired for future generations. Please understand your responsibilities when visiting these special places. Leave it as you wish to find it.

Geology

The Flat Tops comprise the northern extent of the White River Plateau, created by an uplift that began approximately 52 million years ago. Three periods of volcanic activity followed the uplift, between 24 and 7.5 million years ago. Pleistocene and possibly some early Holocene glaciation occurred approximately 13,000 to 17,400 years ago. This left many glacial lakes and U-shaped valleys. Elevation ranges from 8700-12,347 feet.

Grazing

The Wilderness Act allows commercial livestock grazing to continue in wilderness areas where it occurred prior to designation. You may encounter sheep or cattle in some parts of the back country. Livestock grazing is regulated under permits administered by the Forest Service. Ranchers use livestock guardian dogs to protect their sheep from predators. Avoid conflict with guardian dogs by keeping a fair distance and taking the least disruptive way around the herd.

Plant Life

The Flat Tops Wilderness contains a wide range of vegetation zones influenced by elevation and climate. At lower elevations, between 7,500 and 9,000 feet, south facing slopes are usually covered with sage, Gambel oak and aspen. The moister north facing slopes are characterized by dense stands of conifers. Lodgepole pine is the conspicuous conifer at low to mid-elevations. Moving higher, Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir become the dominant forest cover. The Treeline occurs at about 11,000 feet. In the harsh conditions at treeline the spruce and fir trees become stunted and gnarled, taking on strange, contorted shapes resulting in this being known as the krummholtz (a German word meaning “twisted wood”). Above the treeline is the alpine tundra. The low ground-hugging plants in the tundra evolved in this severe climate over millions of years. They remain in delicate balance and can be destroyed if disturbed.

Wildlife