Dome Peak

12,927 acres (20.2 square miles)

How to get there
The proposed Dome Peak Wilderness Area is located 6 miles NW of Burns and 10 miles SSW of Yampa on the east side of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. There are three public access points for the unit.

• To reach the southern part of the proposal Area, take the Derby Mesa Loop Road (Eagle County Road (CR) 39) NW from Burns. Take a right on North Derby Road (FS 610; high clearance or 4WD required), which penetrates the proposal Area and ends at Stump Park at an information kiosk, passing a few primitive campsites, and the Winterhawk Outfitters camp on the way. From Stump Park you can hike the Sunnyside Lakes Trail (1861) to the N and NE, passing below Dome Peak. You can also enter the Flat Tops Wilderness Area here.
• To reach the middle portion of the proposal Area, bear right on Eagle CR 43 about 1.5 miles up CR 39 from Burns. This becomes Routt CR 3. Take a left on CR 3A (about 5 miles from CR 39) toward Cedar Creek, for about 2.5 miles, and then a right on North Cedar Creek Road (FS 615). This road penetrates the proposal Area, passing several hunting camps on the way, and ends a closure sign in a large meadow on the North Fork of Cedar Creek. You can hike the Ute-Sunnyside Trail (2034) NE to Sunnyside Creek and then NW to the northern boundary of the proposed Area.
• To reach the northern boundary of the proposed Area, approach from Gardner Park Reservoir (from Routt CR 7 via Yampa, or Routt CR 3B via Trapper). From the reservoir, take FS 915 south past Harper Reservoir to the White River National Forest boundary. From here, you can access either the Sunnyside Lakes Trail or the Ute-Sunnyside Trail.
• The USGS 7 1/2’ quads for the proposed Dome Peak Wilderness Area are Orno Peak, Trapper, Burns North, and Dome Peak.

Setting
The terrain consists of a broad, uplifted volcanic plateau covered with standing Engelmann spruce snags (mostly beetle-killed in the 1950s), large aspen patches, and open park-like meadows. Dome Peak is the easternmost extension of the Flat Top Mountains, and its rocky, rounded form dominates the area. The proposed Area is drained by the steep-walled valleys of Sunnyside Creek, North Fork Cedar Creek, Cedar Creek, Cabin Creek, and Dry Fork Cabin Creek. There is an exposed formation of columnar basalt on the slope NE of Dry Fork Cabin Creek. The creeks support riparian vegetation with cottonwoods, willows, and alders. The elevation ranges from 8,000 feet at Dry Fork Cabin Creek to 12,172 feet, on Dome Peak.

What’s special about it?
The proposed Dome Peak Addition to the Flat Tops Wilderness Area provides an important mid-elevation transition zone to the higher Flat Tops Wilderness, permitting wildlife unobstructed access the Colorado River, and a migration corridor leading east toward the Gore Range. This area is used by deer and elk as summer range. There is a high degree of adventure and solitude to be experienced in this area, and it has remained in a relatively natural state, being adjacent to Wilderness and far from a population center.

The Dome Peak RA is most popular as a hunting area in the fall, as evidenced by the many hunting camps located along roads in the area. There is also excellent fishing here, as Sunnyside Lake is stocked. The unit has outstanding opportunities for horse packing and hiking.

Potential threats
The perennially proposed Dome Peak timber sale is within this proposed Wilderness Area, and if executed, would significantly alter the natural character of the landscape with road construction and clear cutting. There is heavy motorized use on the Stump Park and Cedar Creek roads during hunting season, and, because of the park-like terrain, a high potential for illegal off-road motorized use. Some routes are closed only with a small plastic sign, and there is little or no policing of motorized incursions. The Colorado Army National Guard routinely performs helicopter training landing exercises in the proposed Area causing significant disturbance to wildlife and quiet use values.

Other info
This proposed Wilderness Area is part of the Sunnyside cattle allotment, and some stock ponds and fences may be found. The proposed Dome Peak Wilderness Area 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), the largest in Colorado.