Camp Hale and parts of the Tenmile Range could see access changes. Here’s where the US Forest Service is in the multi-year process.

News | Mar 17, 2025

Kit Geary

The Summit County Rescue Group was called to assist a hiker who had found themselves cliffed out on Quandary Peak, one of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. The area is one of a handful in Breckenridge to be included in a long-term access management plan being worked on.
*Doug Lesch/Summit County Rescue Group*

U.S. Forest Service officials say Summit County-based portions of what’s considered the most visited national forest continue to get busier, and a closer look into the ways they can be accessed and how they should be managed is necessary.

The agency, alongside Summit County and the towns of Breckenridge and Blue River, began working on a plan last spring and will hand it over for a National Environmental Policy Act analysis this summer.

Key trails outlined in the planning process that could see access changes include those in the White River National Forest near and in Breckenridge like Quandary Peak, Blue Lakes, McCullough Gulch and Spruce Creek. Breckenridge officials got insight into what that could entail at a March 11 meeting.

Dillon Ranger District Recreation Program Manager Sam Massman said visits made to the White River National Forest now average 18.5 million a year, and new estimates show Summit County receives around half of those. The area got even more attention following President Joe Biden designating Camp Hale and parts of the Continental Divide as a national monument in 2022.

He said Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, a federal agency that has worked on access management plans for other highly visited places like Maroon Bells, was engaged in the process to help in the early stages including analyzing user data, engaging with stakeholders and drafting proposals for projects.

Until the National Environmental Policy Act analysis is finished and officials determine priorities, project proposals won’t be set in stone, Massman said. He said the process is intended to be broad and consider the feasibility of a slew of different options on the table — even those which could never come into fruition.

Many of the proposals discussed with Breckenridge officials target existing problems. For instance, one proposal looks to establish a parking lot at the existing shuttle turnaround for the McCullough Gulch Trailhead.

This map demonstrates the trails in the southern portion of the Tenmile Range which will be focused on in the access management plan.

“One of the consistent concerns we’ve had from the community here in the last few years is that we’ve overly restricted their access to McCullough Gulch Road because there’s no parking allowed along that road anymore,” Massman said.

He added there is a possibility to introduce reserved parking spots which could provide a quicker way to get to trails when the shuttles aren’t running.

Also, a 78-spot parking lot could be added to the Spruce Creek Trailhead, where trails have seen increased usage the last few years. This is in addition to a potential change aimed at addressing challenges caused by what Massman described to be an “unmanaged parking scenario.”

“We’re not sure we can manage this level of visitation without having some kind of reservation system,” he said, noting the possibility was likely.

Proposals for formalizing trailheads and building restrooms were among those many council members said they would like to prioritize, alongside ones aimed at mitigating traffic. Council member Dick Carleton noted the importance of establishing trailheads and increasing signage so people stop making their own social trails.

Mayor Kelly Owens said she wanted the project team to “pay really close attention to those situations that are currently impacting the neighbors” and their ability to travel the street they live on. She said she wanted to see projects aimed at tackling existing issues done first before new introductions.

Outside the results of the National Environmental Policy Act analysis, projects are also contingent on funding.

Funding from a Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Trails Planning Grant has already pushed planned efforts forward, and Massman said the project at-large is considered a priority for the White River National Forest.

When asked by Carleton on his confidence level for securing funding, Massman responded “I think 50/50. We’re supposed to have money for some of the trailhead and road improvements in 2026.”

Council member Todd Rankin questioned if there is a way to utilize parking fees to return the capital that’s invested to conduct projects like building new bathrooms.

Breckenridge’s Open Space and Trails Manager Duke Barlow said that could be looked into.

“The more typical (experience) is we find a way to fund the construction, and the fees cover the management and the annual operations and maintenance of the site after that,” he said.

Aside from prioritization of projects, another crucial decision concerns what the overall management game plan should be.

One route involves using the Forest Service Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which allows the charging of fees to access these sites so funds are available for increased level of services like improving trails and shuttle systems. An example of this already in place in Summit County is fees to use certain campgrounds which go back into managing the sites.

Another route is giving an entity, like the Summit County Government, a special-use permit to operate access management, or instituting a concessionaire.

“We want to set up a holistic program here. That’s one of our goals for the whole thing, is to establish a scenario where we’re supporting the law enforcement staffing needed to enforce parking, the trails maintenance needed to put those trails in better shape,” Massman said.