About the Lost Creek Wilderness

In 1963, the 15,120 acre Lost Creek Scenic Area was created under the precursor of the Wilderness Act, the “U-Regulations” of 1939. During the first U.S. Forest Service RARE process, Lost Creek received more comments recommending its wilderness designation than any other Colorado area. In 1980 the 105,000 acre Lost Creek Wilderness was created under the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1980. Approximately 14,700 additional acres were later added to the west end of the Wilderness under the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to its current size of 119,790 acres. Lost Creek, the wilderness's name sake, got its name from its numerous disappearances into rock piles and underground passages, only to later reappear downstream. At its final reappearance, it becomes Goose Creek. About 130 miles of trails serve the Wilderness, including the Colorado Trail, which passes through the area. The entire Wilderness lies within Pike National Forest, split between the South Park and South Platte Ranger Districts.

Geology, Wildlife, Flora and Fauna

Geologically, the Lost Creek Wilderness is much different than that of Mount Evans. The grainite found throughout Lost Creek is the characteristic pink Pikes Peak granite, a land of fascinating rounded granite domes and knobs, split boulders, rare granite arches, and tree-lined mountain parks. Wilderness elevations range from 8,000 feet to 12,400 feet. No glaciation is evident here as in Mount Evans. Instead, the erosion of the granite by weather and stream action is what is spectacular here. Huge domes and free-standing pinnacles dominate the landscape. Stream action has worked its way into cracks and joint systems in the granite, carving deep canyons and forming fault block caves through which the creek flows, repeatedly disappearing and later reappearing, hence the name Lost Creek. For it unique geology, it was also designated a National Natural Landmark in 1966. Black bears, bighorn sheep, deer, elk and bobcats share the region. Vegetation in the area includes ponderosa, bristlecone, and lodgepole pine, aspen, spruce, fir and alpine tundra.

History

Because of its rugged nature, the heart of Lost Creek was too wild for much commercial use other than grazing. There was, however, a failed attempt between 1891 and 1913 by the Antero and Lost Park Reservoir Company to dam Lost Creek underground at a site just below the confluence of Lost Creek and Reservoir Gulch. The company eventually sold out to Denver Water, who quickly realized that the tremendous cost of blocking the underground flow could never be justified by the relatively small amount of water that would be impounded. All that remains now near the site are a few old buildings and some rusting machinery.

There are remains of logging camps and sawmills on the outskirts of the Wilderness, particularly in the vicinity of the present Lost Park road and along the north side from Grant to Wellington Lake. Payne Gulch (Payne Creek Trail) and Ben Tyler Gulch (Ben Tyler Trail) were named for area loggers. The section of the Colorado Trail from the northeast side near Wellington Lake into North Lost Park was originally named the Hooper Trail for W.W. Hooper, the logger who built the road in 1877. He and two others had a millset at the top of the divide between Craig Creek and North Lost Park. Once the area was cut out, they moved the mill down into North Lost Park, just east of the present North Fork Trailhead. The mill was set up and had just been put to use, when they were put out of business by government agents for timber trespass. They lost all but their horses. Hooper, however, went on to become the District Ranger out of Bailey (1902-1904) and later the forest supervisor on the Leadville National Forest. Grazing has and still does go on in the western end of the Wilderness. The Wigwam trail was originally a route for driving cattle from Webster Park on the east side over into East Lost Park. East Lost Park and Craig Meadows still have active grazing allotments. The last three known wild buffalo in Colorado were shot in Lost Park in 1885.