CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Parking near two of Colorado's most popular fourteeners is getting more complicated, and not just because there are more people trying to hike them.
Clear Creek County is trying something new to prevent roadblocks caused by poorly-parked vehicles on the way to the trailhead for Grays and Torreys.
“At Grays and Torreys, we’ve been having an abundance of parking issues,” Clear Creek County deputy sheriff Mike Sawyer said. “And we’re trying to get a soft compliance from the visitors to our county to, kind of not block each other in and allow access for our emergency service vehicles to be able to get to individuals who may need help if they were to get injured or lost on these hiking trails.”
On busy days, no parking signs will line an area up to a mile downhill from the trailhead parking lot.
But, not all the time.
Expect them on weekends and when schools are on break.
“Normally, our Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays are very heavy at Grays and Torreys – it’s a very popular hiking destination for people visiting our county,” Sawyer said. “Our Forest Service officer – he tries to get up there really early in the mornings and set these signs out so we can get that voluntary compliance … and we’re not having to have a vehicle towed in case an emergency service [vehicle] can’t get through.”
The rocky road from Interstate 70’s Bakerville exit to the trailhead is about three miles long.
The new parking restrictions will force more people to park near the bottom and hike a few miles up before they even reach the trailhead.
“I’d say if you can’t do the extra, the extra miles, don’t come out and do it,” volunteer coordinator for the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Hannah Clark said. “If you’re walking the road, maybe you’ve earned it a little bit more once you get to the top.”
The mission of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is to protect and preserve the natural integrity of the 14,000-foot peaks through active stewardship and education.
Clark supports more parking restrictions near Grays and Torreys.
Her group estimates visits to the trailhead increase 6% annually.
“I don’t think this many people should be up here,” Clark said. “We’re right at tree line. It’s an incredibly sensitive area. There are people everywhere, camping everywhere. You can see impacted areas all over this place. I think it’s dangerous to the environment for sure.”
Grays and Torreys are considered two of Colorado’s more accessible fourteeners, and even inexperienced hikers are often able to summit both in one day.
The new parking restrictions could add hours of hiking to those attempts.
“When you add another six miles onto that, maybe that’ll deter a few folks,” Clark said. “When you go out, you want to enjoy a place. And when you’re out here with a thousand people, maybe it’s hard to enjoy sometimes.”
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