• Download the Storm Peak Roadless Area map [pdf]
Storm Peak includes 43,493 acres of roadless lands in the Rico Mountains surround 12,133-foot Eagle Mountain. The area straddles the watersheds of the East and West Dolores Rivers. The Rico Mountains are a colorful and overlooked segment of the San Juans, dwarfed by the nearby 14,000-foot peaks of the Lizard Head Wilderness to the north.
Storm Peak contains extensive stands of spruce-fir and mixed conifer forest. Much of this forest is located on the gentle slopes of Truby Creek north of Calico Peak. A large percentage of the remaining old-growth spruce-fir in the Dolores River drainage occurs in Storm Peak, including the expansive old-growth stands of Truby Creek. The Truby Creek old-growth spruce forest is extremely uncommon on the San Juan National Forest because it is located on gentle slopes, almost all of which have been extensively clearcut elsewhere on the SJNF.
The easily accessible and previously roadless forests of Storm Peak have in the past 20 years experienced the greatest impacts from logging of any roadless area on the SJNF. Approximately 7,500 acres of RARE II roadless lands have been roaded and logged in a handful of timber sales during the 1980s.
A well-developed trail system winds through Storm Peak. The Calico National Recreation Trail follows the ridgeline from the Dolores River to Storm Peak and continues on through spruce forests to Morrison Creek. The roadless area includes the parallel Priest Gulch Trail as well as the upper end of the Stoner Mesa Trail. The area’s lack of high peaks and alpine lakes makes it less popular than nearby wilderness areas, and contributes to the area’s outstanding opportunities for solitude.
Patented mining claims dot the Horse Creek watershed west of Rico, but evidence of human activity is restricted to the lower end of the drainage, which is excluded from the roadless area in any case. Otherwise, the area appears to be substantially unmodified by human activity.
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