Flat Tops Trail
Difficult to Top
Even among native Coloradans, the Flat Tops are a well-kept secret. Flat though their tops may be, these impressive mountains are the centerpiece of the second-largest wilderness area in the state. They include a vast landscape of subalpine forest, alpine tundra, sheer cliffs, and sparkling lakes. Here you can hike the death-defying trail across the Devil’s Causeway, where thousand-foot drops are separated from one another by a knife ridge only a few feet wide. You can visit Trappers Lake, one of the only known breeding sites in Colorado for Barrow’s Goldeneye, and explore aspen stands with nesting Purple Martins and oak scrublands where Dusky Grouse are common. You can see Band-tailed Pigeons winging their way overhead. This is a special area, well worth the effort to get to.