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Adoption Status: NOT ADOPTED
8,024 acres (12.5 square miles)
How to get there
The East Vail roadless area is located immediately southeast
of Vail along the west side of Interstate 70.
- From
Vail, the Mill Creek Road (FS 710) ascends Mill Creek and divides the roadless
area from Vail Ski Area. From its closure, you may hike to Two Elk Pass and
pick up the Two Elk Trail.
- From
Vail Pass, take Shrine Pass Road (FS 16), and the East Vail RA will be on your
right. Past Shrine Pass, bear right on FS 728. Just past the closed FS 712, you
can hike Bowman’s Shortcut Trail (2133), which reaches Two Elk Pass in 4.5
miles. Or stay on FS 728, which eventually descends to meet the rough FS 745
down Lime Creek toward Redcliff.
- The
southern portion of the unit (described above) can also be reached from
Redcliff via Turkey Creek Road (FS 709).
- To
access the east trailhead for the Two Elk Trail (2005), which crosses the unit,
travel 2 miles south on the old road from Gore Creek Campground. This road
parallels I-70 and is part of the Tenmile-Vail Pass National Recreational
Trail.
- The
USGS 7 1⁄2’ quads for the East Vail RA are Vail East, Red Cliff, and Vail Pass.
Setting
This irregularly shaped area stretches from Vail to Vail
Pass, between I-70 and Vail Ski Area. The terrain consists of high ridges and
steep forested hillsides, dissected by many drainages, that fall into the Gore
Creek valley. The area is wooded predominantly with spruce/fir forests
interspersed with savannas and meadows left over from a massive forest fire
about a century ago. Many avalanche paths spill from the high ridges to carve
paths through the forest. The elevation ranges from 8,300 feet near the Town of
Vail, to 11,818 on Red Peak. The Black Lakes are in the unit, near Vail Pass.
What’s special about it?
The East Vail RA serves as a buffer between development
along the I-70 corridor and the expanding Vail Ski Area. The area is a fall
transitional zone for the large Dowd Junction-Two Elk Creek herd of elk. The
area is also vital habitat for the Canada Lynx and is an important piece of the
forested landscape linkage that connects habitats south of I-70 to those on the
north.
This unit receives heavy recreational use, and is thus an
important resource to residents of Vail. A popular winter playground, the area
features world-class ice climbs on north-facing slopes near Vail, and the
impressive East Vail Chutes, a challenging and frequently-visited backcountry
skiing destination (usually accessed from Vail Ski Area). The Shrine Pass area
also receives abundant use by skiers. The Two Elk Trail is a very popular
summer hiking and mountain biking trail. The soaring forested slopes cast a
feeling of wildness over the entire Gore Creek valley.
Potential threats
Any further development of Vail Ski Area toward Two Elk Pass
may affect the nature of this area dramatically by placing access roads and
large buildings on ridgetops, in addition to increasing human traffic. The SW
portion of this unit is under management that emphasizes timber production.
Future harvests will require significant intrusion. There is a proposal for a
huge resort development for private holding above Redcliff on the southwest
side of this unit. As the access from the deep gorge of the Eagle River Valley
may be unfeasible, there is a chance that the developer will seek access over
national forest lands from the top of Vail Pass. This would have quite a
deleterious effect this roadless area.
Other info
In addition to the area recognized by the USFS, conservation
groups have identified an additional 1,926 acres of roadless area associated
the East Vail RA, primarily in the Lime Creek area near Redcliff. The total
roadless acreage here is thus 9,950 acres (15.5 square miles).
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