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Adoption Status: ADOPTED
12,375 acres (19.3 square miles)
How to get there
The
Reno Mountain roadless area is located about 18 miles south of Silt.
The area may also be approached from Glenwood Springs or Collbran.
- To reach the northwestern portion of the unit, cross the Colorado
River at Silt, and head south on Dry Hollow Road (County Road (CR)
331). When that road ends, turn right onto CR 342, which becomes FS 270
(improved gravel) at the forest boundary. Just inside the boundary,
Alkali Creek Road (FS 816) branches off and follows the boundary of the
unit to a cow camp and a road closure at a gas well. (Note: Little
Muddy Road (FS 842) is shown on the map as connecting to West Divide
Creek, but it does not really exist.) Boundary Road (FS 264; 4WD)
branches off of FS 270 at the White River/Grand Mesa NF boundary and
follows a powerline along the western edge of the roadless area.
- To reach the eastern portion of the unit, approach from Silt, as
above, but take a left onto West Divide Road (CR 344) from CR 331. This
becomes FS 800 (4WD) at the forest boundary. Park at the Cayton Guard
Station gate and walk past the Guard Station to find the trailhead for
the Lake Fork/Muddy Creek Trail (2172) and the Cayton Gulch Trail
(2162), both of which cross the center of the roadless area. Further up
FS 800, the Reno Gulch Trail (2163) makes a nice hike up Reno Creek.
Turn south onto Texas Hill Road (FS 841; 4WD) to reach the southeast
corner of the roadless area. A grassy spur road branches off to the
west and leads to a closure gate and the unmarked south trailhead for
the Reno Gulch Trail (2163). Beautiful hiking here.
- To approach from Glenwood Springs take Garfield
County Road 117 to Sunlight Ski Area. The road becomes Thompson Creek
Road (FS 300). Follow signs to Haystack Gate, where you must get onto
West Divide Creek Road (FS 800; 4WD). Stay on this to reach the east
edge of the unit.
- To approach from Collbran, take CR 330E to the east. If you stay on
this road, it becomes FS 270 and reaches the west edge of the area. To
reach the east side, turn right onto Buzzard Creek Road (FS 265), and
left onto Owens Creek Road (FS 268), which meets up with Texas Hill
Road (FS 841), which is described above.
- The USGS 7 1⁄2’ quads for the Reno Mountain RA are Hightower Mountain, Flatiron Mountain, and Spruce Mountain.
Setting
The
Reno Mountain roadless area sits on the north side of the divide that
separates the Plateau Creek and Divide Creek watersheds. The terrain
consists of rolling, rounded mountains and moderately-steep wooded
drainages. Hightower Mountain, Reno Mountain, and Van Mountain are the
high points that feed Alkali Creek, Little Muddy Gulch, and Reno Creek,
all of which flow into West Divide Creek. The slopes are blanketed in
aspen forests, shrubsteppe, and sagebrush. Elevations range from 7,400
feet at West Divide Creek to 9,741 at Reno Mountain.
What’s special about it?
Reno
Mountain roadless area has critical ecological significance. It is in
the center of wildland corridors that stretch from the Thompson Creek
area to Battlement Mesa and to Grand Mesa. The area has the best
representation of the aspen/shrub plant community on the White River
National Forest. This makes for the best black bear habitat in the
state of Colorado, and it is the only place for animals to migrate
between the White River NF and Grand Mesa without crossing settled
areas. The unit supports large herds of elk and deer year-round, and is
a vital elk calving zone. It is also has a healthy wild turkey
population.
This area is very important for hunters, who
currently represent the bulk of human traffic into the area. The area
receives little visitation the rest of the year. Despite being
especially critical for wildlife, mid-elevation forests such as this
are unprotected on federal public lands. This valuable characteristic,
along with the large degree of connectivity to other roadless areas
makes Reno Mountain a priority for protection.
Potential threats
The
gravest threat to this unit is from the natural gas boom currently
seizing the area. Most of the unit is leased for natural gas
development though one large parcel was protested and is now being
appealed to the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Roadless advocates
should request that any development of the existing leases require No
Surface Occupancy stipulations. Existing leases should also be allowed
to expire at the end of the current lease term. No new parcels in this
roadless area should be leased.
The WRNF is currently analyzing a proposal to
run a large natural gas pipeline through the eastern portion of
this unit. The pipeline is noted to have excess capacity
needing to be filled which may provide a catalyst for development
of gas leases in the unit. Roadless advocates should request that
the WRNF locate the pipeline on an alternate route that avoids roadless
areas. The lowlands north of this roadless area are getting hammered by
natural gas production, making the perservation of these few remaining
unspoiled parcels all the more important.
The Reno Mountain roadless area regularly receives
motorized off-road incursions during the hunting season. Further
development of private parcels adjacent to this unit threatens to
increase the area’s traffic, as well as making motorized trespassing
more difficult to police.
Other info
This unit has active cattle grazing allotments and their associated fences and stock ponds.
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