The proposed Assignation Ridge Wilderness consists of two contiguous roadless areas, the Forest Service-managed Assignation Ridge and a BLM parcel that that agency calls (confusingly) Thompson Creek. Together they total 21,420 acres (33.5 square miles).
Assignation Ridge and three other contiguous Hidden Gems proposal areas:
Hayes Creek, East Willow, and
Clear Fork – together form a sprawling 94,300-acre roadless complex known as the Clear Fork Divide.
Thompson Creek Roadless Area (BLM)
8,233 acres (12.9 square miles).
Setting
Elevation in this area ranges between 6,600 and 10,700 feet. Thompson Creek Canyon is reminiscent of a western slope "Garden of the Gods," containing geologic strata and vertical faulted hogbacks of the same geologic era as that of the Colorado Springs phenomenon and also includes an outpouring of gypsum which formed the epicenter for a number of minor earthquakes in the Carbondale area a few years ago.
Thompson Creek itself is a beautiful stream with undisturbed woods ranging from cottonwoods and ponderosa pine to scrub oak, pinyon-juniper, Douglas fir, and aspen. The forests provide a haven for wildlife including elk, bear, mountain lion, wild turkey, and small game, as well as the ever-present deer.
What's special about it?
This unit's most distinctive feature is the lower Thompson Creek canyon, dominated by the Thompson Creek Fins, a grouping of thin vertical sandstone slabs that tower up to 60 feet high and are a popular climbing spot. Seen from the ground, the Fins are as impressive as any redrock marvel of the Utah desert; from the air, the whole feature looks like a small corner of Canyonlands accidentally dropped into the middle of a Colorado forest.
The lower canyon also contains leftovers of trestles and the long-abandoned grade of the Aspen and Western Railroad. The railway grade and the Thompson Creek streambed provide a scenic pathway for hikers and cross-country skiers.
Potential Threats
Although no oil and gas development has occurred in Thompson Creek Canyon, parts of the region are leased for oil and gas. Some seismic activity has occurred just to the west of the unit. Future leasing of the canyon itself is restricted to No Surface Occupancy.
Extensive grazing exists along South Thompson Creek and Braderich Creek. Some ORV use occurs on the northernmost section of the unit below Assignation Ridge. A network of bandit mountain-bike trails has been constructed in the Barber Gulch area in the northeastern quadrant of the unit.
How to get there
- From Highway 133 in Carbondale, turn west at Main Street, which quickly becomes Thompson Creek Road (CR 108) In approximately 7.4 miles, Forest Road 305 branches left. This road crosses Thompson Creek in another 2.4 miles, where a trailhead denotes the route downstream.
- From Highway 131 look for the Perham Creek Trail roughly 6 miles north of Redstone.
- From Redstone take Forest Road 307 west about 3.5 miles to the Braderich Trail #1952.
Other Info
The BLM designated Thompson Creek an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. (ACEC) Thompson Creek has also been considered as a possible addition to the potential Wild and Scenic River designation of the Crystal River.
Assignation Ridge Roadless Area
13,183 acres (20.6 square miles).
Setting
The Assignation Ridge section of the proposed Clear Fork Divide Wilderness Area sits on the divide between the Crystal River and South Thompson Creek. The bulk of the unit consists of rolling hills and craggy drainages covered in diverse plant communities. These include aspen, mountain shrubs, sagebrush, Gambel oak, Douglas fir, and piñon/juniper. The precipitous slopes near the eastern boundary of the unit display enormous red sandstone cliffs that tower over the Crystal River valley, and give the Town of Redstone its name. The elevation ranges from 6,700 feet at the Crystal River to 10,614 feet on the divide.
What's special about it?
This portion of the proposed Clear Fork Divide Wilderness Area, despite its proximity to the Town of Carbondale, is very much undisturbed, and retains a wild and natural quality. The area is well-known for its large diversity of plant communities, and has been proposed to be a Research Natural Area by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. The Area also contains part of CNHP's Middle Thompson Creek Potential Conservation Area, and is adjacent to the Smith Gulch Potential Conservation Area.
The Assignation Ridge section of the proposed Clear Fork Divide Wilderness Area is part of a critical big game migration corridor between the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness and the Thompson Creek section of the proposed Wilderness Area. It also provides access to lower elevation winter range on BLM lands to the north that are proposed for Wilderness designation.
The Crystal River has been proposed to be Wild & Scenic River, and the Assignation Ridge area provides a significant scenic backdrop to this valley. Trails in the area are popular with hikers and horseback riders, and a moderate amount of elk hunters are present in the fall. There are also popular ice-climbing areas on the sandstone cliffs along the Crystal River.
The WRNF recommended this section of the proposed Wilderness Area for designation in the 2002 Revised Forest Plan and is being managed to not impair its wilderness qualities until Congress acts on this recommendation. Until then, the area's Recommended Wilderness status could easily be changed to a zoning that allows ecologically damaging activities like natural gas development and timber harvest.
Potential threats
The primary threat to this area is natural gas developoment that could forever ruin the wild character of this area. Illegal motorized uses are also becoming more widespread, threatening to significantly fragment and degrade the ecology of the area.
How to get there
Assignation Ridge RA is located 6 miles south of Carbondale, and just NW of Redstone.
- From Carbondale take State Highway (SH) 133 to the south. The Perham Creek Trail begins on the west side of the highway about 3 miles south of the forest boundary. This trail crosses Assignation Ridge to South Thompson Creek.
- From Redstone, turn west on FS 307 toward Coal Basin. About 3 miles up this road is the Braderich Creek trailhead (1952) on the right. This trail goes north to South Thompson Creek, and is the western boundary of the unit.
- The USGS 7 1/2' quads for Assignation Ridge RA are Stony Ridge, Mount Sopris, Placita, and Redstone.
Other info
There are two active cattle allotments in the unit. The Assignation Ridge RA is contiguous with an 8,148 acre roadless section of BLM lands to the north, near Carbondale. In addition, conservation groups have identified 4,398 more acres of roadless area adjacent to the SW portion of the unit, acerage left out of the USFS' recommended - the Forest Service inappropriately declared lands west of the Braderich Creek Trail as incapable of wilderness designation due to mountain bike usage of the trail. The total size of this roadless complex is 25,812 acres (40.3 square miles).
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