Since 1976 the Mt Evans State Wildlife Area has been closed Jan 1 - June 14 to avoid disturbing wintering and calving elk
The 1998 Beartrack Fire burned 485 acres, portions of which had already experienced severe infestations from budworm and bark beetle
The Roosevelt Lakes Trail continues above the tarns to a saddle between Rosalie Peak and the Pegmatite Points, where it continues south as the Tanglewood Trail and drops to meet the Rosalie Trail
The Roosevelt Lakes Trail moderates across treeline but loses clarity between cairns in a big alpine landscape
Beartrack Lake is framed by a 13,500'+ ridge between Epaulet Mountain (13,523') and Rosalie Peak (13,575')
Beartrack Lake's outlet braids through a marshy mix of grass, willow and ponds which make exploration a soggy affair
Travel moderates from 2.0 - 3.95 miles through conifer stands on a ridge between Bear Creek (north) and Truesdell Creek (south)
The north shore of Beartrack Lake is long with plenty of space for anglers, and a number of established campsites spread across intact forest
The Mt Evans Wilderness was designated in 1980 and covers over 74,000 acres, the approximate size of the Indian Peaks Wilderness (~76,000 acres)
Fire regimes are influenced greatly by climate, vegetation types and by topographic and geologic features that either facilitate or restrict fire spread (Agee 1993, Camp and others 1997, Taylor and Skinner 1998)
The largest Roosevelt Lake is still quite small, but set among high alpine meadows that give it a particularly spacious feel
The 2011-2012 blowdown significantly limited access to the Beartracks and Roosevelt Lakes before being cleared by 2015; most of this work was done by manual saw
The Roosevelt Lakes Trail crosses open alpine terrain where cairns blend in with the landscape and can be difficult to distinguish, particularly on the way back down when navigation must be more precise
The uppermost Beartrack Lake is located approximately 800' up and 1.05 miles as the crow flies from the lower lake outlet, a challenging cross-country hike that requires good navigation skills
The Mount Evans SWA covers approximately 4000 acres of montane woodlands and canyon bottom habitats on the eastern flank of Mount Evans
The Roosevelt Lakes are joined by short streams and pools
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