Landscape
On the eastern edge of the Holy Cross Wilderness near Red Cliff lies Homestake Valley, one of the rarest and most valuable ecosystems in Colorado.
This 9-mile valley contains lush forests, hidden meadows, and dozens of beaver ponds threaded along the crystal clear waters of Homestake Creek.
One of the valley’s most important ecological features is its fen wetlands – ancient, peat-forming wetlands fed by groundwater. Many of the fens in Homestake Valley are over 10,000 years old and are some of the most pristine in all of Colorado.
Homestake Valley is home to an abundance of wildlife, including moose, elk, mule deer, black bears, marmots, beavers, foxes, songbirds, waterfowl, the threatened greenback cutthroat trout, and the endangered Canada lynx and boreal toad.
The valley offers a spectacular array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, crosscountry skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife viewing. As a principal watershed for the Eagle River, Homestake Valley is also vital to the health of our local ranching community and tourism-based economy.
Wildlife and Recreation
Geography
Located off of US-24, the entrance to Homestake Valley lies 11 miles south of Minturn and 4 miles north of Camp Hale National Monument.
The valley is nestled within the White River National Forest and surrounded by the Holy Cross Wilderness.
Homestake Road, which follows the meandering Homestake Creek, starts at an elevation of 8,938 feet and climbs to 10,278 feet.
Background
In the 1880s, the road through Homestake Valley was built as a stagecoach route to access the Gold Park mining camp and the now extinct town of Holy Cross City.
In 1967, the cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs completed construction of the Homestake Reservoir, an asphalt-lined earthen dam with a capacity of 42,900 acre-feet. The reservoir collects water from Homestake Creek, as well as Sopris, Missouri, Fancy, and French Creeks, through a series of pipes and tunnels.
In the 1970s, Aurora and Colorado Springs proposed building a second dam, Homestake II, in the Holy Cross Wilderness. Massive public outcry and legal action led to the proposal’s defeat in the 1990s.
In 2020, another proposal was put forth: the Whitney Reservoir, a new reservoir in the lower Homestake Valley. In 2021, the Forest Service approved the drilling of ten 150-foot boreholes to collect samples and conducted a seismic survey to prepare for building a new dam.
The proposed Whitney Reservoir would inundate the heart of Homestake Valley, effectively destroying its precious ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. The loss to wildlife and the community would be immeasurable.
