“I’ve heard it’s beautiful, but I’ve never been there.”

A remark I’ve heard (and said myself) over and over again for the last couple of years. Designated a wilderness area in 1975, the Flat Tops is actually Colorado’s third largest, behind only Weminuche and Rocky Mountain National Park, but it still seems to be “that area on the way to Steamboat.”

With no plans on an invaluable summer weekend, me and a buddy packed the car, grabbed the dogs, bought a map on the way out of town, and headed north to see if the rumors of the Flat Top’s allure are true.

Yes. Yes they are…