Good trout fishing in Slater Creek and Little Snake River
Authentic western clothing sold at F.M. Light & Sons, Steamboat Springs
Numerous bears
Species
General Size
Trophy Potential
Mule Deer
140"-160"
160"+
Elk
250"-280"
300"+
Antelope
70"-75"
75"+
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
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Low
Moon Phases
November 2024
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This smaller unit is found about 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs and stretches to the north to the Wyoming state line. A large elk herd inhabits the area between Hahns Peak and the Little Snake River. Along with good elk numbers, mule deer and antelope also inhabit this area in good numbers.
Good numbers of deer, elk, and antelope can be found here. Public access can become troublesome later in the year as game populations move into lower elevations.
Except for a few flatlands, such as those near Slater Creek and the Little Snake River, this unit is hilly and mountainous from the Wyoming line to its southern border near Diamond Peak and from the Continental Divide in the east to Bible Back, Camel Back and Long mountains in the west. The western half is mostly private land below 8,000 feet in elevation with about three dozen scattered parcels of BLM land. The largest is the Fly Creek Restricted Travel Area, which surrounds private land that includes 8,452-foot West Gibraltar Peak, which is five miles from the Wyoming border. The eastern half is mostly in the Routt National Forest, which runs from about 8,000 feet to the Continental Divide, which is the eastern border and varies from about 9,200 to 10,300 feet above sea level. Drainages tend to run west and north into Wyoming. Terrain is mostly forested in the west with several large openings, mainly on south slopes. The eastern half is mostly wooded but has large open areas.
Silver sagebrush flats, mixed with Indian rice grass and antelope bitterbrush, are below foothills that are covered with oak brush, grasses, junipers, pinyons, mahoganies and aspens. Cottonwoods and willows line creek bottoms. Mountains are covered with Gambel oak, ponderosa pine and aspen with thicker cover on north slopes. Open parks have mountain sagebrush and grasses. Chief species of trees in the high country are subalpine fir, blue spruce, lodgepole pine, Douglas spruce and Engelmann spruce. Alpine basins bloom with Indian paintbrush, lupine, glacier lilies and marsh marigolds.
Routt National Forest roads, county roads and mining tracks provide hunters good access. Shield Mountain at 9,921 feet above sea level is near the western edge of the Routt National Forest. West of South Fork Park are several sections of BLM land, some of them landlocked by private ground. County Road 129 leads to Grieve Ranch Conservation Easement State Wildlife Area, which covers 2,511 acres from 6,582 to 9,000 feet above sea level and borders the BLM’s Fly Creek Restricted Travel Area, which covers more than 12,000 acres. Motor vehicles in the Fly Creek area are allowed on only one road, the Fly Creek Road, which is closed to motorcycles and ATVs. County Road 129 north of Steamboat Springs, crossing the eastern part of the unit before reading Little Snake River at the Wyoming border. County Road 82 along Slater Creek forms part of the southwestern and western boundary. Few areas are more than two miles from a road.
Steamboat Springs has motels, hotels, restaurants, hot springs, an airport, fuel stations, stores and vehicle repair shops about 40 miles away. Hunters can get motels, fuel and restaurant meals in Baggs, Wyoming, which is 20 miles from the unit, and in Walden, which is 50 miles to the east.
Roughly 299 square miles
59.8% public land
Elevations from 6,538-10,839 feet
Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended
Hahns Mining District has several Jeep trails
Numerous trailheads
Snow and ice can make travel hazardous or impossible on some roads
Camping is restricted to developed campgrounds in the Grieve Ranch area
Hahns Peak Lake Campground is open Labor Day through mid-October, depending on weather
Most hunters camp along roads in the Routt National Forest