![]() The eastern side of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area can be accessed by Routt County Rd 7 through the town of Yampa, Colorado. A trail crosses the Causeway which at its narrowest is 3 to 4 feet wide with drop-offs of hundreds of feet to the valleys on either side. The Causeway is a narrow neck of the plateau where eroding glaciers on either side almost met. The Devil's Causeway, perhaps the most popular geologic feature and notorious hiking experience in the Flat Tops, is located in the same area. The highest point in the Flat Tops is the summit of Flat Top Mountain (12,361 ft) on the east side of the range. The most common trees are Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir and lodgepole pine, with aspen groves at lower elevations. This area has been affected by the non-native plant species, yellow toadflax. The area contains approximately one hundred and ten ponds and lakes and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including many large mammals such as moose, elk, mule deer, black bear, and cougars. ![]() ![]() The resulting mix of areas of treeless plateau at an elevation of 11,000 to 12,000 feet interspersed with verdant valleys is unique among Colorado mountain ranges. The plateau forms the northeastern portion of the White River Uplift capped by horizontal basalt flows from tertiary volcanic activity and is bounded by steep drops to valleys carved out by subsequent glaciation. While there are notable peaks in the Flat Tops, the dominant feature of the range is the high plateau from which the peaks arise. Much of the range is within the boundary of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The Flat Tops is a mountain range located in Colorado within the Routt and White River National Forests.
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