As Runners, We Love Our Parks & Trails, But Are We Loving Them Too Much?
Visitation to Colorado’s open space parks and lands has skyrocketed. As more people visit each year, cities and other organizations are having a tough time dealing with the spike.
The trail was arduous for my kids, but so worth it. It was a beautiful summer day with bluebird skies, a rushing river, and views of towering red rocks as we climbed. Once we reached the top, surrounded by dozens of other hikers, we were greeted with the view we’d seen in so many pictures. Multiple cascading waterfalls into an aquamarine lake at Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs. It was just gorgeous.
In just three years, total visitation at Hanging Lake is up 81 percent. With 133,000 visitors last year, the parking lot is often shut down because it’s full. The area is a part of the White River National Forest and maintained by the US Forest Service. The organization says it can’t afford to monitor the site around the clock. So while no dogs are allowed, people ignore the signs and bring them anyway. Litter often clutters to trail. The trail was built to be two feet wide but is as wide as eight feet now in spots because of heavy use.
The Forest Service is brainstorming what to do – charge a trail fee, institute a shuttle bus, or even limit the total number of daily visitors.
The Forest Service has already tried to curb crowds to the Maroon Bells near Aspen. They have implemented a fee system and offer a shuttle from a nearby parking lot. But that parking lot, Aspen Highlands, can only accommodate 400 cars. At peak times, it fills up early. Rather than leave and return at a different time, drivers stash their cars where ever they can, even blocking the road so that buses can’t get through. On July 3, the shuttle buses brought 2,000 visitors to the trailhead.
“The Maroon Bells is becoming like the entrance to Disneyland,” Pitkin County Board Chairman George Newman said recently.
So now local officials are brainstorming for new ideas to curb the crowds and keep the area beautiful.
HANGING LAKE IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS.
Boulder’s Chautauqua Park is another area that has become a victim of too much popularity. The park often welcomes 50,000 visitors a month. In the last decade, total visitation has doubled at the park, which has caused parking, litter and traffic woes. The city started offering shuttle service this summer, which had 2,300 people on board on popular days. They also set up paid parking options near the park. City officials have faced some backlash, but they insist that they aren’t trying to stop visitors from coming, just manage the crowds.
As use continues to grow, officials will continue to crunch the numbers and try to come up with solutions. It will be difficult to keep trails pristine when so many people are using them. But as a lover of trails, I don’t think people will stop coming.
Happy Trails, Derek Griffiths