McFarlane, North Independent A & Hunter Roadless Areas

Adoption Status: ADOPTED

McFarlane: 1,446 acres (2.3 square miles) 
North Independent A: 4,548 acres (7.1 square miles) 
Hunter: 1,103 acres (1.7 square miles) 
TOTAL: 7,097 acres (11.1 square miles)

  How to get there 
These roadless areas are located immediately east and southeast of Aspen.

• There is no public motorized access to the McFarlane roadless area. Private lands and the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area block access on the east side of the unit. Foot or ski access into the area must come from Richmond Ridge to the south of Aspen Mountain Ski Area. An old, closed jeep road (FS 2198) lies along the western boundary of the unit, and may be reached from Bell Mountain within the ski area.
• Although the North Independent A roadless area is situated along State Highway 82, there is no good access into the area from the highway.
• The access road for both the North Independent A and the Hunter roadless areas is the Smuggler Mountain Road (FS 131; 4WD) that climbs the steep hill east of Aspen. This road ascends Smuggler Mountain and ends at the Warren Lakes. It separates the two units. There are no maintained trails in either area, although there is a nonsystem singletrack that mountain bikers occasionally descend through the North Independent A unit. It branches off of FS 131 about a half mile below Warren Lakes and stays west of the road.
• The USGS 7 1⁄2’ quads for these roadless areas are Aspen, Hayden Peak, Thimble Rock, and New York Peak.

Setting 
The McFarlane roadless area occupies very steep and densely-timbered east-facing slopes. It is situated on east side of Aspen Mountain at the northern end of Richmond Ridge. A few avalanche paths cut through the spruce/fir forest, which gives way to aspens along the Roaring Fork River.  Elevations in the unit range from 8,000 feet along the river, to 10,600 feet at its southern end.

The Hunter and North Independent A roadless areas mostly occupy the northwestern portion of the massive, hulking plateau of Smuggler Mountain. The Hunter RA is situated on the Hunter Creek side of this plateau and features gently rolling spruce/fir forest that drops steeply north to Hunter Creek. The North Independent A RA is situated on the Roaring Fork side of the plateau and consists of a broad shield of gently sloping forest that plunges steeply 1,500 feet down to the Roaring Fork River. Minor creeks inhabit the surface, but do not form deep drainages. The North Independent A RA also occupies the long strip of very steep south-facing hillside that looms above the Roaring Fork and below the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness boundary. These slopes feature numerous outcrops of gray granite interspersed with conifers and aspens.

What’s special about them? 
The McFarlane roadless area and the eastern half of the North Independent A roadless area are largely important as buffers that lessen the impact of heavily-developed areas upon adjacent Wilderness Areas. The very steep terrain of these areas prohibits serious recreation or development, so they act as de facto wilderness areas. The McFarlane unit receives winter use as a backcountry skiing area accessible from Aspen Mountain Ski Area, but few people go all the way to the road. The steep sections of the North Independent A unit feature numerous rock-climbing areas that receive fairly heavy use in summer.

The portions of these units that are on Smuggler Mountain are valuable as large areas of continuous forest. Wildlife are drawn to the peaty meadows of Warren Lakes, and travel through these units extensively. Big game are present in the summer. The Benedict Huts of the 10th Mountain Hut Association are at Warren Lakes, and are a popular winter destination for backcountry skiers. The Warren Lakes receives most of its traffic during the hunting season, and is generally a very quiet place.

Potential threats 
Much of the terrain in these areas would have been developed if it were possible, but as it is, they are relatively threat-free. However, the perenial, hare-brained schemes to sell off public lands to help paydown the federal budget deficit could seriously jepordize these roadless areas as no expense is too great for the wealthiest of the wealthy trying to elbow their way into the real estate market in the vicinity of Aspen. The Smuggler Mountain area, however, has the potential to be a timber-harvesting area, and there is also a potential mineral extraction site in the North Independent A unit.