If you want to go hiking on the popular trails in Green Mountain Falls this summer, you may have to pay to park. The very small town, with a correspondingly very small budget and very small staff, has struggled over the last few years with how to manage the increasing numbers of users, and their vehicles, overwhelming the town.Â
The COVID-19 pandemic made things even worse last year, with even more people visiting to engage in outdoor recreation nearly bringing the town to its breaking point. When the mere 250
legal parking spaces available to the public filled up, some inconsiderate visitors would park on private property, in residents' driveways or illegally on town roads clearly marked as being for residents only, generating complaints to town hall. The excess amount of cars also brought an excess amount of people and complaints about loud groups on residential streets, litter, loose dogs and other generally poor behavior. Additionally, the huge influx of visitors overwhelmed the town's public restroom facilities, which simply weren't designed for the number of visitors who were using them.