Unit 38

Saint Marys Glacier provides a distinctive high-country landmark visible from lower valleys. Missouri Lake, Carter Lake, and Loch Lomond offer reference points in the upper basins. The series of summits including Mount Flora, Kingston Peak, and Breckenridge Peak form the skyline along ridgelines.

Lower features like Missouri Falls and Windy Saddle gap help orient travel routes through the drainages. Ralston Roost and Queens Chair provide vantage points for glassing mid-country. These landmarks anchor navigation in a terrain complex enough that clear reference points matter.

The unit spans from about 5,100 feet in lower valleys to over 13,300 feet on high ridges and peaks. This creates distinct habitat zones: lower montane forest with Douglas fir and ponderosa transitions into lodgepole and spruce-fir as elevation climbs, with scattered aspen in transition areas. Alpine parks, meadows, and tundra dominate the highest ridges along the Divide.

Open parks and flats at mid-elevation—like Elk Park and Leyden Flats—provide natural glassing points and natural gathering areas. The moderate forest coverage means adequate timber mixed with open country for spotting game.

Over 3,300 miles of roads crisscross the unit, creating connected access from multiple trailheads and staging areas. The proximity to Denver and I-25/I-70 corridors means easy access but also significant opening-week pressure. Lower elevations near populated places like Central City and Berthoud Falls see heavy early hunting.

However, the terrain complexity and elevation variation mean pressure distributes unevenly—accessible ridges and parks fill up while steep drainage systems and high-country basins see less traffic. Midweek and later-season hunting, or focusing on higher elevations, can yield better solitude.

Unit 38 encompasses portions of Gilpin, Boulder, Clear Creek, and Jefferson Counties in the northern Front Range and central mountains. The eastern boundary runs along I-25 near metro Denver; the southern edge follows I-70 and U.S. 40 toward Idaho Springs. The Continental Divide forms the western boundary, while Rollins Pass Road and highways 119, 72, 93, and 128 define the northern perimeter.

The unit's roughly triangular shape sits directly between the Denver metro area and high country, making it a transitional zone between lower-elevation hunting pressure and true alpine terrain.

Multiple reservoirs and lakes—Silver Lake, Lake Caroline, Reynolds Lake, and several others—provide reliable water sources throughout the unit, particularly valuable in the drier western sections. Pine Creek, Elk Creek, Beaver Brook, and other named streams form drainage systems that create natural travel corridors through the mountains. Several ditches (Smart Ditch, Church Ditch, Wannamaker Ditch) show historical and current water management.

The abundance of water sources reduces the strategic constraints that plague drier units, allowing hunters to plan routes without desperation camping near the few reliable sources.

Unit 38 supports elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, bear, mountain lion, pronghorn, and moose across its elevation range. Lower montane zones hold early-season deer; elk migrate upward through September into high parks and ridges. Early season works lower forests and parks; rut hunting focuses on high-country meadows and basins around Saint Marys Glacier and the alpine drainages.

Late season pushes herds downslope into timber and protected drainage systems. Pronghorn hunt lower flats and open benches. The terrain's complexity means glassing from ridge saddles and high points, then hiking into drainages to work game.

Water accessibility means camp flexibility—use the lakes and creeks to position tactically rather than being locked to one location.