Sweetwater Roadless Area

Adoption Status: NOT ADOPTED

Note: the map for this area is subject to minor revisions, but should be adequate for everyday use.

16,239 acres (25.3 square miles)

How to get there
The Sweetwater roadless area is located about 8 miles northwest of Dotsero, in the southern Flat Tops. Many trails cross through the area.

• To reach Sweetwater Lake, approach via the Sweetwater Road (County Road (CR) 40). This road begins at the Colorado River several miles north of Dotsero. CR 40 becomes CR 150 at the Eagle/Garfield County line. Sweetwater Lake Campground is the eastern trailhead for Cross Creek Trail (1855) and the Ute-Deep Trail (2031), both of which cross the unit, and both of which are motorcycle-legal. Past Sweetwater Lake, at the end of CR 150, is the trailhead for Nellie’s Trail (1839), Turret Creek Trail (1832), Trail 2042, and Trail 1854, all of which make their into the Flat Tops Wilderness Area to the north.
• The best access point on the west side of this unit is the Deep Lake area. Take the Coffeepot Road just north of Dotsero, which becomes FS 600 (improved dirt) at the forest boundary. Stay on the Coffeepot Road all the way to Deep Lake, which is the western trailhead for the Ute-Deep Trail (2031). From Deep Lake, Onion Ridge Road (FS 618) heads SE and provides access to spur roads and trails along the SW boundary of the unit.
• From Deep Lake, you can stay on FS 600 to Indian Camp Pass and the NW corner of the unit. FS 642 is cherry-stemmed into the unit, and gets you to the western end of Trail 1854/Cross Creek Trail.
• The USGS 7 1⁄2’ quads for Sweetwater RA are Deep Lake, Sweetwater Lake, and Broken Rib Spring.

Setting
The Sweetwater roadless area is on the eastern side of the White River Plateau and south of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The volcanic plateau is high and broad, has gentle topography on its top, and is rimmed with steep, cliffy walls. This unit occupies much of the Sweetwater drainage, including Sweetwater Creek and its tributary Lake Creek. These drain the massive plateau eastward into the Colorado River. The terrain is lightly forested  with islands of spruce and fir, Douglas fir, aspen, and Gambel oak, in order of descending elevation. However, much of the area is covered with vast alpine meadow systems, and grass shrubsteppe. The elevation ranges from 7,700 feet at Sweetwater Lake to 10,800 above Cross Creek.

What’s special about it?
The remote location of this area, and its proximity to to the Flat Tops Wilderness, have limited significant alterations to the landscape here. The area is incredibly scenic, and has a unique open view in all directions. This unit acts as a buffer to motorized trespassing into the Flat Tops Wilderness from private lands to the east. Hunting is quite popular here in the fall, but the area sees little traffic in the rest of the year, providing good opportunities to experience solitude.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has identified the Sweetwater area as critical big game winter range, in addition to supporting a large elk herd in summer. Sweetwater Lake is a popular fishing area as well. This unit is of economic importance to the many outfitters that operate here.

Potential threats
Current USFS travel management in this area allows motorized recreation to occur year-round on designated routes. But not all users stick to the designated routes and end up creating new, bandit routes, causing long-term damage in high meadow ecosystems, as well as compromising the natural qualities of the area. The flat terrain, rich soils, and ample rainfall produce some large, valuable trees that attract the interest of the timber industry. Potential timber harvesting could threaten the integrity of the roadless area. Historic logging activity has impacted the area along the southwest boundary, as evidenced by the many loop and spur roads criss-crossing the area.

Other info
The USFS has divided Sweetwater RA into units A and B, along an arbitrary line that represents different management direction for the two parcels. Roadless advocates should urge that the area be viewed as one roadless unit and managed to protect its roadless character in its entirety.

Conservation groups have identified an additional 5,602 acres of roadless area associated with this unit, along the southwest boundary. The Sweetwater RA is one of nine roadless areas adjacent to the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. These combine to form a roadless complex of over 342,000 acres (533 square miles)!