WSP08347

• File Number: 7630.125
• Description: Wild and Scenic - Colorado Wilderness Act - 1991
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 1/1/1990
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Colorado Heritage Preservation Act - Area-By-Area Descriptions
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

G[~721

January 1990

LOST CREEK

ACREAGE: 23,000 in the Further Planning Area

DESIGNATION RECOMMENDATIONS:
FOREST SERVICE ARMSTRONG
unsuitable 7,000

WIRTH
11,000

FOREST: Pike National Forest

COUNTY: Park
Land Area
sq. miles
2,192

PUblic Land
% of total
51

Forest Service
land %
47

LOCATION: In the center of the state, on the North end of the
Platte River mountains adjacent to the Lost Creek Wilderness Area,
about 40 miles southwest of Denver and 10 miles from Bailey.

RECOMMENDATION: 7,300 acres of the study area are proposed for
wilderness desiqnation. Even though approximately 780 acres of
state mineral reservation and 10 unpatented mining claims are
included, the designation is warranted in order to include the
renowned Ben Tyler Trail in the Lost Creek Wilderness.

GENERAL FEATURES: This is an addition to the current Lost Creek
Wilderness and has no unique landforms or areas of geologic
interest that are not found in nearby wildernesses.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The Ben Tyler Trail, approximately 11 miles
long, receives most of the hiking, hunting and horseback use in
this study area.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: The RARE II process inventoried the Lost Creek
Area, recommending 71,000 acres as wilderness and 58,040 acres as a
Further Planning Area. In 1980, 106,000 acres were designated the
Lost Creek Wilderness Area. 23,000 acres were left to be evaluated
for wilderness suitability in the forest planning process. After
that exhaustive process, the Forest Service determined this area
unsuitable for this designation.

RELATION TO OTHER WILDERNESS: There are 5 designated wilderness
areas partly or entirely in the pike National Forest -- 257,420
acres. This amounts to 11 percent of the forest's area. In
addition, other wildernesses with about 298,800 acres are adjacent
to the forest.

VEGETATION: The terrain tends to be moderately sloping. The lower
elevations are well timbered. Fingers and patches of trees
intermingle with the meadows in the sUb-alpine zone. The area
contains spruce fir, lodgepole pine, aspen, Douglas fir and
ponderosa pine.

WILDLIFE: The area is ideal habitat for deer, elk, and bighorn
sheep. Approximately 970 acres is deer winter range and the
headwaters of Rock Creek is a bighorn sheep lambing area.