The gentle slopes atop Flattop Mountain are remnants of the erosion surface that happened almost 70 million years ago, when the Rocky Mountain uplift began. Giant blocks of ancient crystalline rock, overlain by younger sedimentary rock, broke and were thrust upward. Even as the uplift occurred, streams started eroding away the sedimentary rocks and washed new sediments to the east and west. When the sedimentary rocks were almost gone, erosion continued leveling the ancient Precambrian rocks until only a few isolated remnants projected above the gently rolling landscape. In order to get to this destination, you have to take the trailhead at Bear Lake for 4.4 miles. Panoramic views and access to many other great peaks lure hikers up this mountain in the middle of the park. Summit elevation 12,324' (gain of 2849'). Park visitors can go horseback riding on Flattop Mountain, but it is closed to stock use from about mid-October to the first of August due to environmental conditions (snowpack, erosion, flooding).

From projectile points located on Flattop Mountain, and other locations, one archeologist concluded: "Evidence indicates intermittent occupation. Small camps indicate seasonal hunting in the valleys and on the mountains."

In 1748 a fight developed between the Ute and Comanche tribes. By 1755, the Utes retreated to the western slope of the Rockies. It was during this era of war-making and hunting that the Utes probably traveled across Rocky Mountain National Park's east-west trails. Trail Ridge, Flattop Mountain, and the Fall River routes were probably used, with Forest Canyon and its Pass an obvious pathway. Certainly the Ute tribe and other Indians were not confined just to these trails; many other passes, saddles, and canyons could have been used to cross the Front Range, and several were far more popular than those in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Credits and Sources:

“Geologic Activity.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. Environmental Factors. Accessed May 30, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/geologicactivity.htm

“Horseback Riding.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. Things to Do. Accessed May 30, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/horses.htm

“Rocky Mountain National Park: A History. Chapter 1: Tales, Trails, and Tribes.” National Park Service. Park History Program. Accessed May 31, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap1.htm

“Suggested Hikes.” National Park Service: Rocky Mountain, Colorado. Hiking. Accessed May 30, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/hikes.htm.

“Rocky Mountain National Park: A History. Chapter 6: Paradise Founded.” National Park Service. Park History Program. Accessed May 31. 2015. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap6.htm