Clear Fork
59,500 acres (93 square miles)
We have adjusted our Clear Fork wilderness proposal. The sprawling lands in Clear Fork area have been removed from the current Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. The area's high biological diversity, headwaters of important streams and rivers and ecologically rich low elevation habitat all deserve a high level of protection. The Hidden Gems Campaign will continue working with our partners to seek lasting protection for the entirety of this important and ecologically rich landscape.
Setting
Located in a remote area of northwestern Gunnison County, the Clear Fork unit spans the headwaters of East Muddy Creek, ranging in elevation from 7,500 feet along Highway 133 to over 11,000 feet along Huntsman Ridge.
What’s special about it?
The Clear Fork landscapes are the epitome of the American West. Rolling mountains blanketed with vast, majestic aspen and old-growth spruce forests stand guard over numerous creeks. These remote forests are a haven for elk, mountain lion, bighorn sheep, lynx and cutthroat trout. Some of the best black bear core habitat area in the state is also found here.
The Clear Fork unit is the largest of four contiguous roadless areas that together comprise the Clear Fork Divide roadless complex. (These roadless areas are separated only for administrative reasons; under the Hidden Gems proposal, two of them – Clear Fork and Hayes Creek – would be merged to form a new, standalone 40,950 -acre Clear Fork Divide Wilderness.) These roadless areas have been recognized by the Colorado Division of Wildlife as high-priority habitat for a variety of species, and collectively they provide a critical east-west migration corridor between the Grand and Battlement Mesas and the Elk Range, part of the main stem of the Rocky Mountains.
The Clear Fork roadless area has particularly fine aspen stands, which form part of an unbroken forest that extends southeastwards all the way to Kebler Pass. Some claim that this is the largest continuous aspen forest in the world.
Potential threats
The Clear Fork Roadless Area lies near the southern fringe of the gas-rich Piceance Basin formation, and most of it has been leased by energy companies. Whether the companies will find it profitable to develop their leases is an open question, but the threat of drilling hangs over the area. A look at what has happened to areas north and west of here shows what drilling brings: roads, well pads, heavy equipment, and impacts to wildlife habitat, water and air quality.
The extensive forest cover and gentle topography of this area also make logging a potential threat.
How to get there
From Highway 133, turn west on 265 (the Collbran road). There are numerous access points off of 265, FS 844 being the principal one.
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