By Steve Bonowski and Clare Bastable
With the summer months upon us, the Conservation Department
felt it important to provide CMC members with an update on peak access issues
around the state. The department is working to resolve issues regarding
Colorado peak access and encourages members to check for updates on the
Conservation pages of the CMCs website at www.cmc.org/conservation. The
information was current as of May and includes not only issues pertaining to
14,000´ peaks but also other access issues of interest to club members.
14,000´ Peaks:
Wilson Peak: The Forest Service plans to finish laying
out a trail route in Silver Pick Basin during the summer of 2008. Entry
into the Basin will depend on how fast the very large snow pack melts and
the peak becomes accessible. Trail construction is expected to occur in
2009. Currently, the standard route on the southwest ridge of Wilson
Peak is open to climbers approaching either from Navajo Basin to the
southwest or Bilk Basin from the east.
The CMC continues to work with the Telluride Mountain
Club and San Miguel County to assist the Forest Service in funding the
plan and trail construction in Silver Pick Basin. We will be organizing a
series of work days in 2009 to construct the new trail and will solicit help
from CMC members to get the construction completed on a timely basis. We will
continue to advise members of progress on the new trail and opportunities
to help build the trail.
We want to acknowledge the assistance provided over the past
several on the Wilson Peak issue by Jeff Parsons, chair of the CMCs
Legal and Risk Management Committee. Jeff, a former CMC board member, is a
principal in the Western Mining Action Project, a non-profit entity
located on the Front Range that helps communities deal with impacts
from hard rock mining. Thanks to Jeff, we have learned more
about Colorado mining law than we ever wanted to know.
We inadvertently left Jeff and WMAP from the list of partners in
the January T& T.
Lincoln/Bross/Democrat: the Forest Service has almost
completed the analysis of the trail corridors required by the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). Trail construction by the Colorado Fourteeners
Initiative will continue this summer, and if all goes well, Lincoln and
Democrat may reopen for public access by the end of the summer. The Mosquito
Range Heritage Initiative, a CMC partner, is researching
ownership patterns on Mt. Bross, and the summit and areas around it are
proving to be problematic. For example, one particular claim on Bross has
forty-fourowners who have fractional shares to the claim. It is likely that
Bross will not open for public access this summer.
Crestone Peak & Needle; West Side Access: the
Cottonwood Creek and Spanish Creek trails south of the town of Crestone
remain closed due by their owners. The owners, both spiritual centers,
have requested no public access in order to preserve the quiet needed for
their facilities as well as for the preservation of the area in general.
Much of this area is protected as a conservation easement because of its
natural resources.
There is potential access to the upper part of Spanish Creek
from the Willow Creek trail to the north, but this has not yet been
field-checked. There is also a potential route around the Cottonwood
Creek trailhead primarily on Forest Service land, but other private
land may be affected if an attempt is made to link from a county road to
this property. Saguache County government has convened a discussion among of
the property owners, federal land management agencies, other
interested local citizens, and the CMC in order to see if alternate routes
are feasible. At the first meeting in mid-April, not all ìplayersî in
the issue were present, which made it difficult to have substantive
discussions about the issues. Another meeting was planned for mid-June.
Non-14er Access Issues:
Vail Pass Task Force: The club continues to serve as one of
four representatives for non-motorized recreation interests on
this informal advisory body. The Task Force helps the forest service
manage the Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area while attempting to minimize user
conflicts . The Vail Pass area is a fee zone, and money raised from fees
is used primarily for enforcement. Access to the Recreational Area is
either from Vail Pass or along US 24 near the site of Camp Hale.
St. Mary’s Glacier: the Conservation Department has worked
with the Education Department to identify parking for CMC schools using
the Glacier area and for regular club trips going to James or Kingston
Peaks. Conversations have taken place with two property owners in the area, one
of whom charges for parking. Conservation is also following a bill in Congress
that would provide a land exchange opportunity for the other property
owner who is working to reopen the old St. Mary’s ski area as a snow park.
Legislation enacted several years ago to create the James Peak Wilderness
Area mandated establishment of a trailhead in the general area near St.
Marys. The Forest Service hasn’t complied due to lack of money in its recreation
budget. The owner has expressed interest in working with the agency on a
trailhead project, so we may see the creation of a more formal trailhead
facility in the next year or so.
Cat Slab: The Colorado Mountain Club has monitored the
closure of this popular climbing area in Clear Creek County west of
Golden. Formerly privately owned, the area was in process of going into
public ownership early in 2008. It is possible the area will reopen to
public use.
The Conservation Department at the Colorado Mountain Club
pursues solutions that protect hiker access to peaks around the state. If you
have any information on potential access issues, or would like to assist with
access work, please contact Clare Bastable at bastac@cmc.org or (970) 618-1341.