I live in the Denver metro area, and my favorite area to car camp is most definitely the Flat Tops. As its name implies, the Flat Tops is large, high plateau rising 1500-2000' straight up from the surrounding valleys. The scenery of the Flat Tops is quite distinctive compared to the rest of the state, making for a nice departure from the usual monumental peaks and yawning valleys that are so ubiquitous in the state. The best two areas in the Flat Tops are Trappers Lake and the Stillwater Reservoirs just west of Yampa. Both places have pleasant campgrounds adjacent to good fishing and protected wilderness areas with very good hiking.
Trappers is quite scenic and has superb fishing for cutts in the 12-16" range with a few larger fish to 18-19". The lake can be a little stingy sometimes, but when it's hot......it's on fire. The afternoon spinner falls and evening midge hatches are epic. When the wind kicks up on the big lake, head down the fork of the White River and there's fun fishing for small cuttbows and brookies. There are several hikes that lead up to the top of the plateau. Little Trappers Lake and Wall Lake are a must. Trappers can get crowded on holidays and weekends, and the campgrounds can be a little short on privacy, but I always go mid-week and never have a problem. You have to want to go to Trappers Lake.......it's a haul. Expect at a five hour drive, with a 90 minute stretch on a dusty washboard road that goes over two passes.
The fishing isn't as good as Trappers, but a place I like better is the Stillwater entrance at the head of the Bear River west of Yampa. It's only a 3.5 hour drive from Golden. There are three large reservoirs connected by the Bear River: Yamcolo Reservoir (allows motorized boating), Bear Lake, and Upper Stillwater Reservoir. All lakes are stocked with fingerling rainbows and there are a few cutthroats and brookies around. The Bear River connects the lakes and can be fun fishing when the wind is merciless out on the big lakes. I love hiking in this area. The Mandall Lakes are a blast and it seems like the entire hike is in one huge aspen grove. The Devil's Causeway hike is an absolute must if you have kids. Mosquito Lake is an easy two mile hike past Upper Stillwater, and I always see moose at Mosquito. I've only caught small brookies up at Mosquito, but I once saw an old picture of a kid holding a monster brook trout. Like Trappers Lake, the Stillwater area can get a little crowded on the weekends, but it's very nice mid-week. And with three large lakes, there is more than enough room for everyone to fish. There are three campgrounds and Bear Lake campground is by far the best. Head to the northeast corner deep in the timber for super-private sites.
Trappers Lake
Stillwater Area west of Yampa
