Classic Colorado Backpacking Loops
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Rio Grande National Forest EIS CE
Schedule of Proposed Action (SOPA) 04/01/2018 to 06/30/2018 Rio Grande National Forest This report contains the best available information at the time of publication. Questions may be directed to the Project Contact. Expected Project Name Project Purpose Planning Status Decision Implementation Project Contact Rio Grande National Forest, Forestwide (excluding Projects occurring in more than one Forest) R2 - Rocky Mountain Region Rio Grande Forest Plan - Land management planning In Progress: Expected:06/2018 09/2018 Erin Minks Revision DEIS NOA in Federal Register 719-852-6215 EIS 10/02/2017 [email protected] Est. FEIS NOA in Federal Register 03/2018 Description: Forest Plan Revision Web Link: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46078 Location: UNIT - Rio Grande National Forest All Units. STATE - Colorado. COUNTY - Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan. LEGAL - Not Applicable. Rio Grande National Forest in south central CO. Rio Grande National Forest, Occurring in more than one District (excluding Forestwide) R2 - Rocky Mountain Region DITCH BILL EASEMENTS - Special use management In Progress: Expected:12/2013 01/2014 Matthew Custer CE Scoping Start 09/20/1995 719-852-6206 [email protected] Description: The Forest has 87 applications for Ditch Bill Easements. The Forest intends to process at least 25 of these applications in FY05. This action involves authorizing historical facilities that qualify under the Ditch Bill. Web Link: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/projects/ Location: UNIT - Conejos Peak Ranger District, Divide Ranger District, Saguache Ranger District. STATE - Colorado. COUNTY - Alamosa, Conejos, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache. -
Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad F) - ~7~ - File I a Study NPS :J:Ntl,-Fl II T
I I Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad f) - ~7~ - file I a study NPS :J:ntl,-fl II t. Pr~ pt>"#£' - UNITED STATES DEPARTME NT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1 ON MICROFILM 1\WE IIElUIIH o: ~ liii'ORIIMTIOH OOC1Bl I I I I I. DURANGO - SILVERTON NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD 1\ A Study I I I I I March 1962 I I I. I' I I Department of the Interior National Park Service Region Two Office I Omaha, Nebraska I I I ' I .I I I. I INTRODUCTION I This study is the story of a railroad line and an account of a I chain of recent events which have complicated that study. It describes I. in text and picture the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, i t s operating equipment and I facilities, its scenic and historic surroundings . The significance of this narrow gauge railroad in our Nation's history is pointed out and a case is made for its preservation. The objectives of such preservation • 1: are outlined and some possible solutions are briefed. I I I I I I • I I I \, . ._.. ·---- ~~----------------------~ I y M • w 0 I ...... -- ---- ----.,--- ----- ----------~---- I I I T L 0 R A D 0 A H ~ c 0 OOLORAOO NATIONAL MONUMI:NT Colorado I Sprin9s CAPITOL Rill: I" NATI ON"L I MONUMENT ORI!AT ~ SANO O UNI:8 I NATION& I.,. I Si I OMO NUMI!:NT 81tYc;E C ANYON NATIONAL rf PAIUC 0 0 0 I NAVAJO NAT IONAl. -
Sunlight Peak Class 4 Exposure: Summit Elev
Sunlight Peak Class 4 Exposure: Summit Elev.: 14,066 feet Trailhead Elev.: 11,100 feet Elevation Gain: 3,000' starting at Chicago Basin 6,000' starting at Needleton RT Length: 5.00 miles starting at Chicago Basin 19 miles starting at Needleton Climbers: Rick, Brett and Wayne Crandall; Rick Peckham August 8, 2012 I’ve been looking at climbing reports to Sunlight Peak for a few years – a definite notch up for me, so the right things aligned and my son Brett (Class 5 climber), brother Wayne (strong, younger but this would be his first fourteener success) and friend Rick Peckham from Alaska converged with me in Durango to embark on a classic Colorado adventure with many elements. We overnighted in Durango, stocking up on “essential ingredients” for a two-night camp in an area called the Chicago Basin, which as you will see, takes some doing to get to. Durango, founded in 1880 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway company, is now southwest Colorado’s largest town, with 15,000 people. Left to right: Brett, Rick, Wayne provisioning essentials. Chicago Basin is at the foot of three fourteeners in the San Juan range that can only be reached by taking Colorado’s historic and still running (after 130 years) narrow-gauge train from Durango to Silverton and paying a fee to get off with back-pack in the middle of the ride. Once left behind, the next leg of the excursion is a 7 mile back-pack while climbing 3000’ vertical feet to the Basin where camp is set. -
Spanish Peaks Wilderness
Mt. Bierstadt Field Trip Trip date: 6/17/2006 Ralph Swain, USFS R2 Wilderness Program Manager Observations: 1). The parking lot was nearly full (approximately 35 + vehicles) at 8:00 am on a Saturday morning. I observed better-than-average compliance with the dog on leash regulation. Perhaps this was due to my Forest Service truck being at the entrance to the parking lot and the two green Forest Service trucks (Dan and Tom) in the lot! 2). District Ranger Dan Lovato informed us of the District’s intent to only allow 40 vehicles in the lower parking lot. Additional vehicles will have to drive to the upper parking lot. This was new information for me and I’m currently checking in with Steve Priest of the South Platte Ranger District to learn more about the parking situation at Mt. Bierstadt. 3). I observed users of all types and abilities hiking the 14er. Some runners, 14 parties with dogs (of which 10 were in compliance with the dog-leash regulation), and a new- born baby being carried to the top by mom and dad (that’s a first for me)! Management Issues: 1). Capacity issue: I counted 107 people on the hike, including our group of 14 people. The main issue for Mt. Bierstadt, being a 14er hike in a congressionally designated wilderness, is a social issue of how many people are appropriate? Thinking back to Dr. Cordell’s opening Forum discuss on demographic trends and the growth coming to the west, including front-range Denver, the use on Mt. -
Endlich Mesa Grazing Allotment Agreement
WILDLIFE CONFLICT RESOLUTION — SAN JUAN RANGE, CO Endlich Mesa Grazing Allotment Agreement Where conflicts between livestock and wildlife are prolonged and intractable, the National Wildlife Federation believes that public land grazing retirements can provide an equitable CONTACT solution for ranchers and wildlife interests. In coordination Bob McCready with federal land managers, we negotiate with livestock Program Manager ranchers to retire public land livestock grazing allotments 720-340-1209 that experience chronic conflict with wildlife, especially grizzly [email protected] bears, wolves, bison and bighorn sheep. This market-based Andrea Auguiste approach recognizes the economic value of public land Regional Philanthropy livestock grazing permits and fairly compensates ranchers for Director their public land grazing leases. This approach has proven 303-441-5169 a successful model across the west in resolving conflicts [email protected] between livestock and at-risk wildlife. NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION / 240 NORTH HIGGINS, SUITE 2, MISSOULA, MT 59802 / NWF.ORG The Opportunity The Endlich Mesa domestic sheep grazing allotment is located in the southern portion of the spectacular San Juan Range, 20 miles northeast of Durango. Endlich Mesa is within the stunning Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado’s largest wilderness area, and contains the Florida River watershed, which provides the city of Durango’s municipal water. The allotment has been permitted by a local sheep ranching family for decades, and is just a few short miles from the Weminuche herd of bighorn sheep, one of only three herds in the state with a Tier 1 status classification by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Unfortunately, domestic sheep carry a number of diseases that can and often do, decimate entire herds of Bighorn sheep. -
Colorado Fourteeners Checklist
Colorado Fourteeners Checklist Rank Mountain Peak Mountain Range Elevation Date Climbed 1 Mount Elbert Sawatch Range 14,440 ft 2 Mount Massive Sawatch Range 14,428 ft 3 Mount Harvard Sawatch Range 14,421 ft 4 Blanca Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,351 ft 5 La Plata Peak Sawatch Range 14,343 ft 6 Uncompahgre Peak San Juan Mountains 14,321 ft 7 Crestone Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,300 ft 8 Mount Lincoln Mosquito Range 14,293 ft 9 Castle Peak Elk Mountains 14,279 ft 10 Grays Peak Front Range 14,278 ft 11 Mount Antero Sawatch Range 14,276 ft 12 Torreys Peak Front Range 14,275 ft 13 Quandary Peak Mosquito Range 14,271 ft 14 Mount Evans Front Range 14,271 ft 15 Longs Peak Front Range 14,259 ft 16 Mount Wilson San Miguel Mountains 14,252 ft 17 Mount Shavano Sawatch Range 14,231 ft 18 Mount Princeton Sawatch Range 14,204 ft 19 Mount Belford Sawatch Range 14,203 ft 20 Crestone Needle Sangre de Cristo Range 14,203 ft 21 Mount Yale Sawatch Range 14,200 ft 22 Mount Bross Mosquito Range 14,178 ft 23 Kit Carson Mountain Sangre de Cristo Range 14,171 ft 24 Maroon Peak Elk Mountains 14,163 ft 25 Tabeguache Peak Sawatch Range 14,162 ft 26 Mount Oxford Collegiate Peaks 14,160 ft 27 Mount Sneffels Sneffels Range 14,158 ft 28 Mount Democrat Mosquito Range 14,155 ft 29 Capitol Peak Elk Mountains 14,137 ft 30 Pikes Peak Front Range 14,115 ft 31 Snowmass Mountain Elk Mountains 14,099 ft 32 Windom Peak Needle Mountains 14,093 ft 33 Mount Eolus San Juan Mountains 14,090 ft 34 Challenger Point Sangre de Cristo Range 14,087 ft 35 Mount Columbia Sawatch Range -
Profiles of Colorado Roadless Areas
PROFILES OF COLORADO ROADLESS AREAS Prepared by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region July 23, 2008 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ARAPAHO-ROOSEVELT NATIONAL FOREST ......................................................................................................10 Bard Creek (23,000 acres) .......................................................................................................................................10 Byers Peak (10,200 acres)........................................................................................................................................12 Cache la Poudre Adjacent Area (3,200 acres)..........................................................................................................13 Cherokee Park (7,600 acres) ....................................................................................................................................14 Comanche Peak Adjacent Areas A - H (45,200 acres).............................................................................................15 Copper Mountain (13,500 acres) .............................................................................................................................19 Crosier Mountain (7,200 acres) ...............................................................................................................................20 Gold Run (6,600 acres) ............................................................................................................................................21 -
American Rockies: Photographs by Gus Foster EXHIBITION LIST All
American Rockies: Photographs by Gus Foster EXHIBITION LIST All photographs courtesy of artist except Windom Peak. Photographs are Ektacolor prints. Dimensions are frame size only. 1. Wheeler Peak, 1987 Sangre de Cristo Range Wheeler Peak Wilderness, New Mexico 360 degree panoramic photograph 30" x 144" 2. Continental Divide, 1998 Black Range Aldo Leopold Wilderness, New Mexico 372 degree panoramic photograph 24" x 96" 3. Truchas Lakes, 1986 Sangre de Cristo Range Pecos Wilderness, New Mexico 378 degree panoramic photograph 24" x 96" 4. Pecos Big Horns, 1989 Sangre de Cristo Range Pecos Wilderness, New Mexico 376 degree panoramic photograph 24" x 96" 5. Aspens, 1993 Sangre de Cristo Range Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico 375 degree panoramic photograph 30" x 144" 6. Sandia Mountains, 1997 Sangre de Cristo Range Sandia Mountain Wilderness, New Mexico 365 degree panoramic photograph 16" x 70" 7. Chimayosos Peak, 1988 Sangre de Cristo Range Pecos Wilderness, New Mexico 376 degree panoramic photograph 16" x 70" 8. Venado Peak, 1990 Sangre de Cristo Range Latir Wilderness, New Mexico 380 degree panoramic photograph 16" x 70" 9. Winter Solstice, 1995 Sangre de Cristo Range Carson National Forest, New Mexico 368 degree panoramic photograph 16" x 70" 10. Beaver Creek Drainage, 1988 Carson National Forest Cruces Basin Wilderness, New Mexico 384 degree panoramic photograph 30" x 144" 11. Mt. Antero, 1990 Sawatch Range San Isabel National Forest, Colorado 368 degree panoramic photograph 24" x 96" 12. Mt. Yale, 1988 Sawatch Range Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Colorado 370 degree panoramic photograph 24" x 96" 13. Windom Peak, 1989 Needle Mountains, San Juan Range Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado 378 degree panoramic photograph 30" x 144" Collection of The Albuquerque Museum 14. -
Awesome Infographic
[ ALIVE [ Article MOST LIKELY TO HAVE A HIGHWArticleAY TO THEALIVE TOP TALLEST Pikes Peak (near Colorado Springs) and Mt. Evans A FEW INTERESTING (near Idaho Springs) both have incredibly scenic Mt. Elbert at 14,440 and winding roads that go to the tippy top. WHAT IS A OURTEENER? southwest of Leadville MOST POSTCARDED A peak that rises 14,000 feet or more above sea level. Colorado is PEAKS AMONG THE home to more of these than any other state. (Alaska has 22; California Thousands k eep them clean sum e one on pr that Bef VE NO TRACEafter has 12; Washington has 1) xtr CROWD staying epa WHO DO the subject, r eme or SHORTEST Sunshine Peak at 14,001 LEA wildlife. mit y c ou ra limbinge you go skip you gr ar and Mt.Mar Snef tion. near Lake City aphed epeaks likely in bef ha climb weather, oon P ve on by or Pick See e the these Mt. Bierstadt near Idaho packing EASIEST TO HIKE designated eak near our the most photo a esear and fternoon lev up YOU THINK Springs is often recognized as the perfect lnt.org fels near head ping up a mountainside, el peaks fourteener ch yourone starter fourteener, followed by Grays Peak in tact for of out the state. Aspen up fitness to tackle,of and Torreys Peak near lightning c for Our an tr anything earl the Keystone. r ails - oute and mak ay be -HAVE ITEMS more s y plentiful MUST those NUMBER OF FOURTEENERS Several vie for each and — danger HARDEST Layers of clothing storms this title — Capitol and YOU inf you r who Peak, Little Bear, ormation.especting year guide ous pr Hiking shoes be re pack epa e sur Mt. -
Draft Small Vessel General Permit
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PUBLIC NOTICE The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, 77 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois has requested a determination from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources if their Vessel General Permit (VGP) and Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) are consistent with the enforceable policies of the Illinois Coastal Management Program (ICMP). VGP regulates discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels and non-recreational vessels greater than or equal to 79 ft. in length. sVGP regulates discharges incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels and non- recreational vessels less than 79 ft. in length. VGP and sVGP can be viewed in their entirety at the ICMP web site http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/cmp/Pages/CMPFederalConsistencyRegister.aspx Inquiries concerning this request may be directed to Jim Casey of the Department’s Chicago Office at (312) 793-5947 or [email protected]. You are invited to send written comments regarding this consistency request to the Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite S-703, Chicago, Illinois 60601. All comments claiming the proposed actions would not meet federal consistency must cite the state law or laws and how they would be violated. All comments must be received by July 19, 2012. Proposed Small Vessel General Permit (sVGP) United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) SMALL VESSEL GENERAL PERMIT FOR DISCHARGES INCIDENTAL TO THE NORMAL OPERATION OF VESSELS LESS THAN 79 FEET (sVGP) AUTHORIZATION TO DISCHARGE UNDER THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM In compliance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. -
Forest Wide Hazardous Tree Removal and Fuels Reduction Project
107°0'0"W VAIL k GYPSUM B e 6 u 6 N 1 k 2 k 1 h 2 e . e 6 . .1 I- 1 o 8 70 e c f 7 . r 0 e 2 2 §¨¦ e l 1 0 f 2 u 1 0 3 2 N 4 r r 0 1 e VailVail . 3 W . 8 . 1 85 3 Edwards 70 1 C 1 a C 1 .1 C 8 2 h N 1 G 7 . 7 0 m y 1 k r 8 §¨¦ l 2 m 1 e c . .E 9 . 6 z W A T m k 1 5 u C 0 .1 u 5 z i 6. e s 0 C i 1 B a -7 k s 3 2 .3 e e r I ee o C r a 1 F G Carterville h r e 9. 1 6 r g 1 N 9 g 8 r e 8 r y P e G o e u l Avon n C 9 N C r e n 5 ch w i r 8 .k2 0 N n D k 1 n 70 a tt e 9 6 6 8 G . c 7 o h 18 1 §¨¦ r I-7 o ra West Vail .1 1 y 4 u h 0 1 0. n lc 7 l D .W N T 7 39 . 71 . 1 a u 1 ch W C k 0 C d . 2 e . r e 1 e 1 C st G e e . r 7 A Red Hill R 3 9 k n s e 5 6 7 a t 2 . -
Trip to Weminuche Wilderness, San Juan National Forest, Colorado Rob Maher
Trip to Weminuche Wilderness, San Juan National Forest, Colorado Rob Maher Friday 16 July 1999 Jeff Barish (JB) and I departed Boulder at 12:45PM, picked up Jeff’s friend Peggy at her home in Broomfield, then drove to Jeff’s brother Larry’s home in Denver. We followed Larry to Colorado Springs to pick up Larry’s former student, Tom. We caravaned south on I-25 with Larry and Tom in Larry’s SUV, and JB, Peggy, and me in my SUV. Turned west on US160 to Alamosa for dinner, then on to Durango. Saturday 17 July 1999 Woke up at 6AM, had complimentary breakfast at motel, and arrived at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad station around 7AM (elevation 6520’). We made a last-minute decision to switch to the Elk Park drop-off instead of Needleton in order to avoid the probable weekend crowds in the Needle Creek area, so we switched to the 8:15AM train which stopped at Elk Park instead of the 7:30AM train which stopped at Needleton. We loaded our backpacks in the baggage car. A group of seven hikers (2 men, 5 women) also loaded their packs, giving a total of 12 of us to be dropped at Elk Park. The train ride out of Durango and through the Rockwood Cut was quite enjoyable. We reached the drop off at Elk Park (about 8800’ elevation) around 11:30AM, with scattered clouds in the area. Several members of the other hiking group broke out cigarettes after unloading their packs from the train, and they encouraged us to go first up the trail.