Porcupine Gulch
8,600 acres (13.4 square miles)
Setting
This unit sits on the west side of the Continental Divide, specifically between Loveland Pass and Eisenhower Tunnel, and covers an arm of the Divide that separates the North Fork of the Snake River from Straight Creek. This arm is a rolling alpine tundra-covered ridge with slopes that drop steeply on the north and south sides.
The subalpine portions of this proposed Wilderness are forested in Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir and dense stands of lodgepole pine. There are riparian plant communities along the creeks at the borders of this unit as well.
What's special about it?
The proposed Porcupine Gulch Wilderness Area has limited access, no maintained trails, little recreational visitation, and is relatively undisturbed. The area has a high opportunity for solitude in a scenic alpine environment. This unit contains part of the Colorado Natural Heritage Program's proposed Porcupine Research Natural Area which contains many species of rare plants. Tenderfoot Mountain, west of the proposed Wilderness Area is critical winter range for big game, which move into the roadless area for summer. This unit is particularly critical as a lynx and boreal toad movement corridor because the Eisenhower Tunnel of I-70 is on its north side. This is the only land bridge across I-70 where wildlife may move freely across this very imposing wildlife movement barrier without fear of collision. As such these approaches to the land bridge must be kept ecologically whole so as not to sever access to this singular land bridge across what is known as the Berlin Wall for wildlife, I-70.
Potential threats
The Frey Gulch area, on the southwest boundary of Porcupine Gulch area, has been the site of several large timber sales of lodgepole pine. This has affected the landscape continuity and there is potential for further harvesting.
How to get there
The proposed Porcupine Gulch Wilderness Area is located 3 miles east of Dillon. Approach this area via State Highway (SH) 6 between Dillon and Loveland Pass.
- To reach this proposed Wilderness Area, take SH 6 east from Dillon. Across the road from Keystone Ski Area, the Frey Gulch Road (FS 66) provides access to the area southwest of the unit, and leads to the top of Tenderfoot Mountain. However, there are no maintained trails within the interior of this proposed Wilderness. For the best overview of the area, hike west along the Continental Divide from Loveland Pass. There is no public access to the area from I-70.
- The USGS 7 1⁄2' quads for the proposed Porcupine Gulch Wilderness Area are Montezuma, Grays Peak, Keystone, Loveland Pass, Frisco, and Dillon.
Other info
The Porcupine Gulch area was previously known as the Tenderfoot Mountain area; the Hidden Gems Campaign changed the name in 2009 in order to avoid confusion with the actual mountain, which is in fact outside of the proposal area.
The USFS reduced the area's size by 5,989 acres, citing that the Tenderfoot Mountain and Frey Gulch roadless areas have a low degree of solitude and closed timber roads. A roadless area's degree of solitude has no applicability as to whether it ought to be in the roadless inventory. Nor does it automatically disqualify an area for wilderness designation. Closed and abandoned roads that aren't part of the forest service roads systems do not automatically disqualify areas for wilderness either. Numerous existing wilderness areas contain old roads and their presence alone doesn't violate the Wilderness Act's direction that the hand of man be substantially unnoticed.
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