This field trip will visit Summit Lake, a Denver Mountain Parks (DMP) Open Space property located at 13,000ft, below Mt Blue Sky. For over a decade, DMP has been working to restore the impacts of high recreational visitation on the fragile alpine tundra ecosystem while providing inclusive recreation opportunities.

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) has partnered with Denver Mountain Parks to complete an integrated series of restoration treatments, largely utilizing volunteer community members for implementation. This location is a National Natural Landmark due to the presence of rare alpine species and is monitored using protocols developed by the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Recommended clothing and gear: Sunglasses/Sunhat, long pants, sturdy close-toed hiking shoes, winter jacket, hat and gloves are ESSENTIAL. Temperatures at 13,000 ft (4000 m) are 30-40 degrees cooler than in Denver, below freezing wind chills, rain/snow/hail and intense sun exposure are possible any day of the year. Pit toilets are available in parking lot, but no other services are available. Most of this field trip will occur between 10,000 – 13,000ft (3000 – 4000 m) and walking 1⁄2 mile (800 m) required over relatively flat terrain.

Detailed Description and potential activities

Located at 13,000 ft (4000 m) Summit Lake/Mt Blue Sky is a 1.5 hour drive from downtown Denver and receives 45,000 vehicle visits per year through a reservation permit system. This area is jointly managed by the

United Staes Forest Service and Denver Mountain Parks. Participants will travel from Denver through the Plains, Foothills and Montane Life Zones to meet at the Echo Lake lodge (10,600 feet (3300 m), for a historical overview of the management and unique habitats of the area. A scenic 20 minute drive up to the shoreline of 13,000 ft (4000 m) Summit Lake will take us through the Sub alpine and Alpine Life Zones and will pass by an Old Growth Bristlecone Pine forest.

Once at Summit Lake, we will walk the ADA accessible trail, built as part of the DMP/WRV partnership to Chicago Lakes Overlook. We will visit sites where restoration activities have occurred including; restoration of social trails, installing buck and rail fencing to centralize foot traffic and reduce parking damage; constructing ADA accessible trail to Chicago Lakes overlook and; collection and propagation of native plant materials for replanting.

Attendees will observe how integration of visitor traffic management, multi-use trail construction and targeted replanting with high alpine species has renewed some of the most fragile habitat on the planet. We will identify alpine plants with WRV volunteer Technical Advisors, review high alpine planting techniques and how volunteers are engaged in each step of the process. Lastly, we will explore the rare plant monitoring program at this National Natural Landmark and collect native seeds if time permits.

Back at the parking area, we will visit the next phase involving high alpine road repair to reestablish sheet flow and provide connectivity of the high alpine wetland underneath the road surface. After the site visit concludes there is an optional stop at Mt Goliath Natural Area to observe Old Growth Bristlecone Pine Forest.