• Download the Hermosa Roadless Area map [pdf]
The Hermosa roadless area encompasses one of
Colorado’s largest
and most biologically diverse forests, including at least 17 separate
ecosystems, ranging from rocky scrub oak and pinyon-juniper at
lower elevations to aspen, spruce, and fir. Tracts of virgin timber
exist at elevations as low as 7,000 feet, well below the typical
elevation of most protected forested areas in Colorado. In fact,
Hermosa contains some of the largest stands of old-growth ponderosa
pine remaining in the San Juan Mountains.
Hermosa’s extraordinary ecological variety has compelled
a proposed Research Natural Area covering approximately 26,000
acres of Hermosa Creek’s western tributaries, centered on
Buck Creek and Hope Creek. This RNA provides representation of
exceptionally varied mixed-conifer forests containing Douglas-fir,
white fir, aspen, blue spruce, ponderosa pine, southwestern white
pine and Gambel’s oak. Extensive stands of old-growth spruce-fir
occur at the highest elevations to complement the lower forests,
and riparian communities in excellent condition occur throughout.
The 162,965-acre Hermosa Roadless Area has
been managed to retain its wild character since the 1970s Roadless
Area Review and Evaluation (RARE) studies. Current management
plans perpetuate Hermosa’s
undeveloped backcountry values by prohibiting logging and mining.
This primitive management emphasis was the result of a public advisory
committee convened by the Forest Service in the 1970s. Mountain
bicyclists discovered Hermosa in the 1980s, however, and the main
Hermosa Creek trail now serves as one of the most popular and scenic
mountain bike routes in Colorado. The undeveloped Hermosa watershed
and dendritic drainage pattern offers extraordinary opportunities
for backcountry treks and in this respect provides a positive alternative
to heavily-used routes in nearby wilderness areas such as the Weminuche.
More than 125 miles of trails lace through the roadless area. The
extremely popular Hermosa Trail is presently open to all forms
of backcountry recreation, including hiking, horses, mountain bikes,
motorcycles, and ATVs. Ten tributary trails branch from the main
Hermosa Trail and offer access to numerous more remote valleys.
A portion of the Hermosa Roadless Area has been found eligible
for Wilderness designation and proposed as such in the Citizens
Plan for the Wild San Juans. More information link to wilderness
hermosa page.
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