Devil's Causeway Flat Tops Wilderness Area Yampa Colorado
This is one sketchy trail, it was a good hike getting up there, almost 12,000 in elevation. The causeway section is not long but is really disorienting since it is so narrow with vertical drops around 1,500' on both sides. Camping was awesome in this area and I hope to go back and spend more time there.
Devil's Causeway, Colorado
AHS & C testing their exposure confidence
Backpacking the Devils Causeway Loop Trail in the Flat Tops Wilderness
This is a backpacking video of two nights spent on the Devils Causeway Loop Trail in the Flat Tops Wilderness area of Colorado. Also, footage of crossing The Devils Causeway.
Filmed with the Canon M50 with 11-22 lens and the GoPro Hero 5 Session.
#backpacking
Across the Devils Causeway (Flat Tops Wilderness, near Yampa, CO)
A hike across the highly exposed rock formation called the Devils Causeway in the Flat Tops Wilderness (near Yampa, Colorado). The rock bridge/formation is at about 11,800 ft elevation. It narrows to about 3.5 feet at one point. And there is a drop-off of several hundred feet to either side. Fun -- amazing views -- but keep your balance and watch your step. (Camera held at waist and chest level during the traverse.) Date is July 4, 2008. Video is from two different cameras -- first from a Canon SD40 and then from a Casio EX-Z75. See also (video of a visit and crossing in 2007).
The view from the Devil's Causeway
This is a panorama of the view from the Devil's Causeway in Colorado
Crossing the Devil's Causeway
I took this video in the middle of the Devil's Causeway in the Flat Tops Wilderness of Colorado. I think it's not quite as bad in real life as it looks here, but it's still one narrow, crazy ridge to cross!
Elk - Yampa '13
Hayden and Clark Colorado 2013
Routt National Forest, CO-The Devil's Causeway in the Flat Tops Wilderness
In a region where many speak of myths, curses and breathtaking views this trail has a legendary status. It's a relatively short hike to a ridge that rises over 11,500 feet of elevation, narrowly connecting two mountains. To cross at its most narrow point requires scrambling up a few boulders that are only three feet wide.
Because the Flat Tops region doesn't sit quite as high on the plateau you'll be above most of the other surrounding peaks as you approach Devil's Causeway. Although it isn't considered a mountain, this gives you a classic summit view where the curvature of the earth can be seen from a few vantage points.
Filmed on August 19,2013.
Lake Chapman in Yampa Colorado
The Flattops Wilderness
Flat Tops Wilderness Area is the third largest U.S. Wilderness Area in Colorado. It is 235,214 acres (951.88 km2), with 38,870 acres (157.3 km2) in Routt National Forest and 196,344 acres (794.58 km2) in White River National Forest. It was designated a wilderness area in 1975. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the area, was the lake that inspired Arthur Carhart, a United States Forest Service official, to plead for wilderness preservation.
The Chief of the U.S. Forest Service designated 118,230 acres (47,850 ha) of the Routt and White River national forests as the Flat Tops Primitive Area on March 4, 1932, to be managed to protect the area’s wild values.
Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 1964, which, among other things, required the Secretary of Agriculture to review the suitability of all primitive areas for inclusion into the national wilderness system within ten years. Following this mandate, the U.S. Forest Service evaluated the Flat Tops primitive area and surrounding forest and in 1967 recommended 142,230 acres for wilderness designation.
Conflict arose over the inclusion in the wilderness proposal of lands adjacent to the South Fork of the White River, near the southwest boundary of the proposed wilderness. Several private and public entities proposed dams and water diversions on the South Fork to facilitate development of rich oil shale deposits to the west. Timber interests also initially opposed designating wilderness outside the primitive area’s boundary.
Conservation groups, led by the Colorado Open Space Coordination Council and including Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, and the National Audubon Society, supported protecting a much larger, 230,000-acre area that included lower elevation forest and lakes outside the primitive area.
On June 5, 1975, the Senate passed a bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Floyd Haskell (D-Colo.) to designate 235,230 acres as the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 369-1 on December 1, 1975, and was signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford on December 12, 1975. The lands protected as wilderness included the contested lands along the South Fork of the White River, effectively prohibiting the contested dam construction there.
Spring Cave is a large, not completely explored cave in Colorado in the White River National Forest, in the South Fork Valley of the White River, that has been largely cut out by an underground river running through it. It contains a lake several hundred meters inside as well as several caverns only accessible through underwater diving. The cave is free to explore.
There are two entrances to the cave, both at the end of Spring Cave Trail. Most visitors prefer the nearest entrance, an over-two-meter-high passageway. From there one descends through several rooms leading to a permanent ladder, followed by more rooms leading to the river. It is the largest river inside a cave in Colorado. The level of the river rises and falls throughout the year, and can even rise to the level of the cave entrance on rare occasions.
There are several series of rooms above and past the river, a few of which lead to an underground lake. Past the lake lie several sumps which must be passed through diving. The full extent of the cavern and underground waterways in it is still not completely known.
The infamous strip of land is located in the Flat Tops Wilderness, an area of flattened basaltic domes that rise up from the landscape as vast tabletops — anomalies in a part of Colorado more commonly known for its jagged, pyramidal peaks.
The Devil’s Causeway itself is a narrow ridge of running between the drainage of the William Fork River and the White River. It is accessed only by hikers, usually via a trail that begins at Stillwater Reservoir, east of the small town of Yampa and south of Steamboat Springs.
It is a six-mile round-trip venture to the causeway or 10 miles round-trip if you continue on a loop that returns back to the reservoir. Along the rigorous route are several spectacular sights, including the peaceful Little Causeway Lake and meadows sprinkled with bright splashes of wildflowers in the summer.
But nothing compares to the thrill of crossing Devil’s Causeway. At 11,800 feet and just four feet wide in places — with sheer drops of several hundred feet on either side — this venture is not for those prone to vertigo. It is said that nearly everyone who attempts the crossing is quite literally brought to his or her knees, scrambling across the rocky path in a low squat.
But for those who conquer Devil’s Causeway, victory is sweet — and rewarded with unparalleled views of the surrounding high mesas and the valleys below.
Yampa, Colorado Hiking Trip video.mov
Wild Skies Cabin Rentals in Yampa CO
Prices: . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. Wild Skies Cabin Rentals 52100 CR8 Yampa CO 81641 Ideal for snowmobiling and snowshoeing, Wild Skies Cabin Rentals is 1 hour 10 minutes’ drive from Steamboat Springs. Guests can enjoy an outdoor dining area with barbecue facilities and a balcony. Mountain views, a seating area with a fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen are offered at Wild Skies Cabin Rentals Steamboat Springs. A washing machine and tumble dryer are also included. Guests can take advantage of a library and a game room with air hockey at Wild Skies Cabin Rentals. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including hunting, horse riding and fishing. The property offers free parking. Steamboat Springs Airport is 55 minutes’ drive from Wild Skies Cabin Rentals. Routt National Forest is 60.3 miles from the chalet.
Yampa Valley, CO, Devil's Causeway
Description
I brought my drone to DEVIL'S CAUSEWAY
Devil's Causeway - Flat Tops Wilderness Area September 18, 2016
The Devil's Causeway, a narrow strip of land in the heart of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, is notorious for causing sheer terror, or awe and thrill, for those who dare to cross it. This land bridge is roughly 50 feet in length, and narrows to as little as 3 feet in width. On both sides of the rough and rugged trail (terrain is the more proper term) are 60-80 foot cliffs, with steep talus slopes dropping another 600-800 feet into the drainages below. Whether you consider it frightening, or thrilling, the Devil's Causeway offers hikers one of the most spectacular views in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. Encompassing more than 235,000 acres, the Flat Tops are the second largest U.S. Wilderness Area in the state of Colorado.
Dumont Lake,Colorado
located east of Steamboat Spings Colorado on Rabbit Ears pass
100-year-old Royal Hotel in Yampa burns to the ground
The historic Royal Hotel and Bar in Yampa burned to the ground late Saturday night, after surviving other disasters for more than a century.
Yampa Bench 4wd Road - Maybell, Colorado
For the full trail guide please visit:
The Yampa Bench 4wd Road offers amazing panoramic views in a beautiful and remote part of Colorado. The switchbacks and smooth red dirt straight-aways lead you to significant historical sites and stunning seclusion on the floor of the canyon at the confluence of the Green River and the Yampa River in Echo Park. Steamboat Rock, visible from the Echo Park Campground is the centerpiece of Dinosaur National Monument. Pictured left is the view from the Harding Hole Overlook (Waypoint 11) a popular stop along the Yampa Bench Road. As you stand on the point of Harding Hole Overlook, you contemplate the time it took for the Yampa River to carve the landscape laid out before you. Listen as the canyon's resident swallows and swifts dive through the air overhead and the only other sounds you hear are the rapids, the breeze and a distant 'moooooo'.
Get the trail details and download a GPS route today at:
Devil's Causeway Crossing From a Drone's Perspective
A drone's perspective crossing the infamous narrow ridge Devil's Causeway.
Crescent Lake Backpacking Sept. 2018
Kelsey and Rob joined me on this fall backpacking trip to Crescent Lake in the Mission Mountains Wilderness. This was a short hike to Crescent Lake where we set up camp. We then hiked a half mile past Crescent to Heart Lake and explored around there for a while. We wanted to do one last backpacking trip before the snow fell and we timed it perfect. It started snowing right after we got packed up and continued all the way back to the trailhead. The average temperature while there was 32 degrees which was a little chilly, but thankfully there was an abundance of firewood all over. Overall two beautiful lakes to check out for a quick backpacking trip or can easily be done in a day hike. A bonus for this hike or Turquoise Lake is you get a great overlook of Glacier Lake.
9/29/18 thru 9/30/18
9.5 total miles
Song: Rollercoaster
Artist: Bleachers
Song: Take It All Back 2.0
Artist: Judah & the Lion
Song: Demons
Artist: Imagine Dragons