FS2004/FSX Steamboat Springs (KSBS), Flat Tops Wilderness Area, Colorado
(CO) photo scenery. The Flat Tops Wilderness Area, which is the second largest wilderness area in Colorado, is named for its many flat topped mountains that are clearly visible from the sky. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the area inspired Arthur Carhart, a US Forest Service official, to initiate a plea for Wilderness preservation as early as 1919. Finally in 1975, three years before his death in 1978, the Flat Tops were designated a wilderness area. No wonder he found the area so entrancing: behind Trappers Lake loom majestic volcanic cliffs, and beyond them a vast subalpine terrain reluctantly yields to alpine tundra with an average elevation of about 10,000 feet. More than 100 lakes dot the country above and below numerous flat-topped cliffs. Steamboat Springs is an internationally known winter resort destination. By .
