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<br />-" <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />report by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program describing the values, conflicts, and <br />evaluation of the potential RNA area above Hanging Lake. <br /> <br />B. Recreation and other land uses <br /> <br />Road density in the Dead Horse Creek watershed is 1.2 miles of road/ square mile and <br />trail density is 0.45 miles of trail/ square mile. The roads are concentrated in the upper <br />portion of the watershed, and access to Hanging Lake is by trail. The Glenwood Canyon <br />Bike Path crosses the stream just above the confluence with the Colorado River. The <br />Dead Horse trail travels off of the Hanging Lake trail up a steep canyon to the White <br />River Plateau. <br /> <br />The lower third of the Dead Horse Creek watershed is within a steep canyon. The <br />significant use occurring in this section of the watershed is hiking, primarily along the <br />Hanging Lake trail. In the period frorn March 30 to April 15, 1996, approximately 150 <br />parties registered at the trailhead. Half were from Colorado, the other half were from 26 <br />states and 9 foreign countries. From June I to June 19, 1996,3,204 people were counted <br />on the trail. Half of the 550 registered groups were frorn Colorado, the other half were <br />from 43 states and 14 foreign countries. Total visitation from 1995 to 1996 was <br />estimated at 110,000. A rnore detailed history of past trail and area use is given in <br />Appendix E. Visitor comments are summarized in Appendix F. <br /> <br />The upper two-thirds of the watershed occurs on the top ofthe White River Plateau. <br />Land uses include recreation, primarily hunting, and grazing. The Coffee Pot Ditch runs <br />across the upper portion of the watershed. It collects water from upper East Dead Horse <br />Creek. <br /> <br />C. Hydrology <br /> <br />Each stream segment of Dead Horse Creek has gaining and losing reaches. The <br />watershed loses some surface flow to ground water. Flow regimes during snowmelt <br />runoff in May 1996 showed a rapid rise and fall. West Dead Horse Creek flowed for at <br />least 8 days but less than 34 days above the confluence with East Dead Horse Creek. Its <br />upper end seeps water through rise-and-recession systems to upper East Dead Horse <br />Creek. East and West Dead Horse Creek are sources of water for Spouting Rock and <br />Hanging Lake. <br /> <br />The "Hanging Lake Trail Guide" (Appendix G) points out some of the water dependent <br />features along the trail. There is a natural bridge in the rocks below the first bridge on <br />the trail. The fonnation of this arch was high flow dependent. This is only apparent <br />when viewed during peak spring runoff. Other arches may exist in the drainage but have <br />not been surveyed. Future fonnation of this type of feature is dependent upon periods of <br />high peak flows (Kuyumjian, 1996). <br /> <br />The guide also points out a spring from a cliff above the second bridge that is "fed by <br />underground water from Hanging Lake". Observations during snowmelt runoff in 1996 <br /> <br />5 <br />