Steves Mountain

Steves Mountain Roadless Area encompasses 22,649 acres within the Fishlake National Forest in Sevier County, Utah, occupying the montane terrain of the Fishlake Plateau. The area extends across several named landforms — Steves Mountain itself, Cedar Mountain, Steves Pass, Steves Basin, and Alumbed Hollow — in a landscape shaped by Colorado Plateau geology. Hydrology drains toward the Cottonwood Creek–Salina Creek system, with named tributaries including Jacks Creek, Mill Creek, and Steves Wash carrying runoff from the high plateau, and Mud Spring marking one of the area's perennial water sources. These headwaters carry moderate hydrologic significance, feeding agricultural and municipal water supplies in the Sevier River Valley below.

The vegetation mosaic reflects the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the central Rocky Mountain provinces. At lower elevations and on drier exposures, Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland covers the broadest expanse of the roadless area, dominated by Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) with understories including curl-leaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) and Colorado birchleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus). Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) forms dense Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak Shrubland on mid-elevation slopes, with mountain snowberry (Symphoricarpos rotundifolius) and Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis) in the understory. At higher elevations, Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Southern Rockies Mixed Conifer Forest take hold, where Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) anchors the upper canopy. Subalpine grasslands and meadows appear near the summit ridges, while the western and lower margins carry Intermountain Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe and Great Basin Big Sagebrush Shrubland. Richer drainages support Rocky Mountain Bigtooth Maple Canyon and Rocky Mountain Foothill Streamside Woodland communities, where scarlet skyrocket (Ipomopsis aggregata) and Eaton's firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) mark stream margins.

The pinyon-juniper woodlands and shrublands support a distinctive assemblage of birds and mammals. The pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), a keystone seed disperser in this woodland type, forages in nomadic flocks across open juniper-pinyon slopes, caching seeds that drive pine regeneration across the landscape. Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) performs a parallel function at higher elevations in the spruce-fir zone. Virginia's warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae) occupies shrubby Gambel oak understories in the mixed conifer zone; Cassin's finch (Haemorhous cassinii) forages in the upper canopy. Mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) hunts open meadow edges; the common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) occupies rocky sagebrush slopes at dusk. Red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) works aspen stands, and ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) use dense aspen and oak understories for cover and food. Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) patrols open ridges, while bobcat (Lynx rufus) ranges across the full elevation gradient. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

A visitor hiking the Steves Basin Trail (4096) from Steves Pass descends through open aspen groves into denser mixed conifer forest toward the drainage floor. The Gambel oak shrubland near the upper trailhead gives way to shaded streamside woodland along Jacks Creek — a shift in temperature and humidity marked by the appearance of snowberry, serviceberry, and dense forb ground cover. The Great Western Trail corridor (GWT-M2), crossing 13.5 miles through the area, traverses the full elevational range from sagebrush steppe through pinyon-juniper woodland and aspen groves to subalpine meadow.

The lands encompassing Steves Mountain have been home to human communities for thousands of years. Sevier County's earliest inhabitants were Paleo-Indians, who occupied the region from approximately 10,000 to 7,500 B.C., followed by Desert Archaic foragers and then the Fremont culture, which persisted from roughly A.D. 500 to A.D. 1300. [3] The Fremont "culture was borne of indigenous Archaic foragers interacting with immigrant Puebloan farmers moving north across the Colorado and San Juan rivers from New Mexico and Arizona," and they established farming communities across central Utah. [1] The Sevier Valley, which drains lands adjacent to present-day Steves Mountain, holds particular archaeological significance: "the earliest traces of maize known in Utah date to about 100 B.C. in the Sevier Valley." [1]

After the Fremont cultural florescence faded in the late thirteenth century, Numic-speaking peoples — Ute and Southern Paiute — came to occupy much of Sevier County as accomplished hunter-gatherers. [3] The Ute people ranged "the mountains and vast areas of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, Northern New Mexico and Arizona," using the high plateau country that encompasses present-day Fishlake National Forest as a seasonal territory. [2] "The historic tribes of Utah including the Ute, Southern Paiute, and Shoshoni, speaking languages collectively known as Numic were also part of the landscape" of central Utah at the time of the first Euro-American contact. [1]

Mormon colonists settled the Sevier River Valley beginning in January 1864, founding communities at Richfield and its surrounding towns. The forested plateaus above the valley became critical range for livestock, and by the late nineteenth century transient sheep and cattle herds were placing serious pressure on the watersheds. "Concerned with this growing problem of transient herds devastating their watersheds and the heavy grazing of their traditional summer grazing grounds, residents of the Sevier Valley petitioned the federal government to create the Fishlake Forest Reserve in July 1896." [3] Their petition was among the first steps in a process that the General Land Office administered: "other reserves were soon created, often in response to petitions presented by individuals or groups seeking protection of timber, range and watersheds," after which inspectors examined the land before recommending presidential designation. [5] The Fish Lake Forest Reserve was established by Presidential Proclamation on February 10, 1899, encompassing lands in Sevier, Piute, and Wayne Counties, Utah.

Early federal administration brought systematic assessment of the new reserve's resources. In the summer and fall of 1902, "an extensive survey of the forested lands of Utah was conducted by forester Albert Potter, a former Arizona livestockman, for the purpose of expanding existing forest reserves and creating new ones." [3] Potter's diary recorded his arrival in Richfield to examine the Sevier Forest Reserve that November. His broader 1903 report "inventoried the primary resources: mining, timber, and grazing," documenting "the most overgrazed and actively eroding areas in the United States." [4] Reports of the period recognized that the Fishlake reserve was "deficient of timber" compared to neighboring forests, a legacy of pre-federal extraction that wagon roads carrying lumber to sawmills had accelerated. [4]

In 1907, Congress changed the designation of federal reserves from "Forest Reserves" to "National Forests," and in 1908 the Fish Lake National Forest received its current name, Fishlake National Forest. [5] Today, Steves Mountain's 22,649 acres lie within the Richfield Ranger District and are shielded from road construction and resource extraction under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Vital Resources Protected

Unfragmented Pinyon-Juniper and Mixed Conifer Habitat

Steves Mountain's 22,649 roadless acres preserve an intact elevational gradient from Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland at lower elevations through Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak Shrubland and Southern Rockies Mixed Conifer Forest to subalpine spruce-fir and grassland near the summit. The roadless condition sustains interior woodland and forest conditions unbroken by the edge effects and invasive species corridors that roads introduce. Pinyon-juniper woodlands covering the largest share of this area support the pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), a species under ESA listing review that requires large unfragmented woodland blocks for its nomadic seed-caching strategy. Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), federally Threatened, uses the structural complexity of mature mixed conifer forest for nesting and foraging.

Cottonwood Creek Headwater Integrity

The area contains the headwaters of Cottonwood Creek and Salina Creek, with named tributaries including Jacks Creek, Mill Creek, and Steves Wash. The roadless condition prevents road construction from introducing cut slopes and compacted surfaces that intercept subsurface flow and deliver chronic sediment loads into these upper drainages. Undisturbed headwater systems in arid montane landscapes maintain the hydrological function that sustains downstream agricultural and municipal water supplies in the Sevier River Valley. The Ute ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis), a federally Threatened orchid, occupies streamside meadow habitats along drainages like Steves Wash, where intact hydrology maintains the saturated soil margins it requires.

Elevational Gradient Connectivity

Steves Mountain spans one of the most ecologically diverse elevational gradients in the Fishlake National Forest, from Intermountain Salt Desert Scrub at its lower margins to Great Basin Subalpine Bristlecone Pine Woodland and subalpine meadows near the upper ridges. This unbroken gradient functions as a climate connectivity corridor, permitting species and plant communities to shift ranges without crossing roaded barriers. The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), listed as Threatened, depends on open grassland and shrubland communities across this gradient. The Last Chance townsendia (Townsendia aprica), a Threatened endemic daisy restricted to specific Colorado Plateau microhabitats, requires undisturbed soils; the Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), proposed for Endangered listing, depends on the intact native flowering plant communities that the roadless condition preserves.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

Sedimentation and Headwater Stream Degradation

Road construction in the Steves Mountain drainage system would introduce cut slopes and compacted road surfaces that concentrate runoff and deliver sediment into Jacks Creek, Mill Creek, and Steves Wash. In arid Colorado Plateau landscapes, soils on disturbed slopes erode continuously; road prisms generate chronic sediment loads for decades after construction and cannot be stabilized without active revegetation. Elevated sediment alters channel morphology and degrades the streamside habitat conditions that support riparian-dependent species.

Habitat Fragmentation and Invasive Species Introduction

Road construction through Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland would fragment interior woodland into smaller patches and introduce cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) along disturbed road margins. Cheatgrass converts native shrubland fire regimes from infrequent surface fires to frequent, stand-replacing events that favor annual grasses over native perennial shrubs — a conversion documented in the Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe and Great Basin Big Sagebrush Shrubland communities present on Steves Mountain and difficult to reverse without sustained management intervention.

Loss of Interior Habitat Conditions for Listed Species

Road construction in the mixed conifer and aspen zones would reduce the interior forest conditions that the Mexican spotted owl requires for nesting and foraging. Road margins function as entry points for invasive plants into the bare-soil microhabitats required by species like the Last Chance townsendia and Ute ladies'-tresses; in the low-productivity, slow-recovery ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau, invasive plant establishment in these microhabitats persists for decades without active management.

Steves Mountain Roadless Area offers 22,649 acres of backcountry terrain within Fishlake National Forest, accessed from the Gooseberry I-70 Trailhead and the Anthony Flat Trailhead. The trail network spans more than 60 miles of native-surface routes connecting named basins, ridgelines, and drainages across the montane landscape.

Trails and Equestrian Routes

The Steves Basin Trail (4096) runs 6.1 miles into the basin at the heart of the roadless area, providing access to Steves Pass and the headwaters of Jacks Creek and Mill Creek. Steves Wash Trail (4274) covers 6.4 miles through the lower pinyon-juniper and sagebrush corridor, while Clear Creek Trail (4275) runs 5.4 miles and Cottonwood Trail (156) runs 5.5 miles through the mid-elevation terrain. Browns Hole Trail (4108), 4.1 miles, is designated for equestrian use; Maple Springs Trail (4109), 3.3 miles, is designated for hikers. Secret Corral Trail (4156A) covers 5.2 miles through the interior. The Great Western Trail (GWT-M2) passes through the area for 13.5 miles, connecting Steves Mountain to the regional multi-use corridor spanning the western states.

Wildlife Watching and Birding

The area's varied habitats produce productive wildlife observation. Mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) frequent open meadow and sagebrush edges. Red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) works the aspen stands, and yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens) occupies dense riparian shrub zones along the named drainages. Common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) is audible along rocky slopes after dark. Belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) at stream crossings along Jacks Creek and Mill Creek signals perennial water. Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) and American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) move through during migration. For dedicated birding, Redmond Lake within 24 km is an eBird hotspot with 166 documented species across 409 checklists.

Hunting

Steves Mountain is backcountry hunting terrain in Fishlake National Forest's unit structure. The absence of roads means animals have less pressure in the interior basins, making the area productive for mule deer and elk during early and mid-season. Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) occupy aspen and oak understory zones throughout the area. Bobcat (Lynx rufus) range across the full elevation gradient. Pack-out from the interior requires non-motorized methods — horses, hand carry, or game packs.

Dispersed Camping and Roadless Character

No developed campgrounds exist within the Steves Mountain Roadless Area; camping is dispersed along the trail network following Fishlake National Forest regulations. The Gooseberry I-70 and Anthony Flat trailheads serve as staging points for backcountry entry. The Great Western Trail's passage through the area, the horse-accessible Browns Hole Trail, and wildlife observation along Steves Wash all depend directly on the roadless condition. Road construction would convert the interior basins from backcountry hunting and riding terrain into roaded landscape accessible to motorized vehicles, changing the character of every activity the area currently supports.