Quick Tips
- Be aware of wilderness areas
- Be prepared to spike camp
- Filter all drinking water
On The Ground
This area is west of Winter Park, Vasquez and Byers Peak Wilderness. An estimated population of 30 mountain goats is managed for no growth.
This unit was largely burned during the 2020 Willaims Fork Fire. Hunters should be aware that the landscape will be vastly different in areas and animal movements and habits may have changed. Season dates are weekday-only hunts. There is a lot of recreational use in the two wilderness areas, so expect to see hikers and backpackers during early September seasons.
Terrain
There are a lot of peaks in this area with a lot of small alpine lakes nestled in nearby basins. Vasquez Mountain Range provides snowmelt for St. Louis, Vasquez, Williams Fork and West Fork Creeks.
Roughly 460 square miles
90.4% public land
Elevations from 8,193-13,574 feet
Vegetation
Alpine tundra here is covered with wildflowers, moss, lichens, bristlecone pine and barren ground willow. Large stands of spruce, fir and pine cover most mountain slopes below 11,000 feet. Ridges and drainages have mountain mahogany, oak brush, willows, cottonwoods and aspens. Grassy open parks are scattered within stands of timber.
Access
Interstate 70, U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 40 are highways that can both lead into this unit. Jones Pass, Henderson Mine, Ute Pass, Woods Creek and Urad are several Forest Service roads that lead into the wilderness area. As well as, County Roads 7 and 73.
Arapaho National Forest, Vasquez Peak Wilderness Area sits above 10,000 feet with half of the area above 11,500 and 15 miles of trail. Byers Peak Wilderness is roughly 8,800 acres and is reached off of Byers Creek trail.
Camping and Lodging
Byers Creek, South Fork, Sugarloaf, Horseshoe, Mizpah, Blue River and St. Louis Creek are all improved campsites on National Forest ground. Silverthorne, Winter Park and Fraser are mountain communities that offer motels, bed and breakfast, condos and hotels, small cafes, restaurants, medical facilities, gas and diesel.
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