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Adoption Status: ADOPTED
7,377 acres (11.5 square miles)
How to get there
The Spraddle Creek roadless area is located immediately north of Vail. There are two main access roads to the area:
- Spraddle Creek Road (FS 737; 4WD) penetrates the southern portion of the unit. It begins near the Spraddle Creek Estates, travels up the creek past a shepherd’s camp, and ends at a hunter’s camp near the divide overlooking Vail and Vail Ski Area. From the base of Spraddle Creek Road, the Middle Creek Trail (2135) travels up Middle Creek to FS 719, north of the unit.
- The other access is provided by Red Sandstone Road (FS 700; improved dirt) from Vail. After about 3 miles, bear north on Lost Lake Road (FS 786). At this junction, the Son of Middle Creek Trail (2136) heads SE toward Middle Creek Trail. From FS 786, bear right on FS 719 and pass many closed timber roads. This road leads to the Eiseman Hut of the 10th Mountain Hut Association, on the northern edge of the unit. The Eiseman Hut can also be reached on skis from Spraddle Creek.
- The Middle Creek and Son of Middle Creek Trails are open to mountain biking, and are the only maintained trails in the area.
- The USGS 7 1⁄2' quads for the Spraddle Creek RA are Vail West and Vail East.
Setting
The Spraddle Creek RA occupies half of Bald Mountain and both creeks that drain its western slopes spill into Gore Creek at Vail. These are Middle Creek and Spraddle Creek. The elevation ranges from 8,300 feet near Vail to 12,136 feet on Bald Mountain. Bald Mountain is part of the Gore Range and is a significant landform that is highly visible from Vail Ski Area. The terrain here mostly consists of large moderately-steep hillsides heavily-forested with Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir. Lodgepole pines and aspens area also present in the lower elevations.
What’s special about it?
This area has critical importance as a buffer between urban development in Vail and the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area. Wildlife use this area as a mid-elevation transitional zone between the high peaks of the Gore Range and the Gore Creek valley. Deer and elk are abundant here in the summer, and the ridge along the unit’s eastern boundary is Canada lynx habitat, as well as home to bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
The proximity of this area to Vail makes it extremely valuable for recreational uses. It is a popular hunting and horseback riding destination. The Middle Creek and Son of Middle Creek Trails through the roadless area are very popular mountain bike trails, as they are easily accessible from town. The Eiseman Hut is along the north edge of the unit, and the high ridge is excellent backcountry skiing terrain. Spraddle Creek provides relatively easily accessed quiet use recreational opportunities, opportunities that are increasingly rare and important as the hustle-bustle in the Vail Valley further erodes quiet opportunities there.
Potential threats
There has been some illegal motorized encroachment into the area from Spraddle Creek Road and Red Sandstone Road. The area to the north of the unit was heavily logged during the 1940s. While the forest has regenerated well, the maze of closed and abandoned roads in the area may provide a launching point for illegal motorized use into the unit. As bark beetle caused mortality increases in the area, there will be calls for more logging in an attempt to do something about this natural phenomenon. Any treatments intended to address beetle spread and mortality will cause more ecological harm than good and the area should be protected from the roads that would accompany so-called beetle treatments.
Other info
This is one of 12 roadless areas that are contiguous with the Eagles Nest Wilderness area, and together form a roadless complex of over 168,000 acres (262 square miles). In addition to the USFS acreage, conservation groups have identified another 987 acres of roadless area associated with Spraddle Creek RA. 873 acres along the wilderness boundary in the NE part of the RA have been recommended by the USFS to be added to the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area.
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