As hiking crowds continue to surge at Colorado’s busiest 14,000-foot mountain, officials are wondering about the possibility of permits and shuttles.
Online survey-takers are being asked “how likely” they would be to make reservations and board a ride to the Quandary Peak trailhead, off Colorado 9 about a 20-minute drive from Breckenridge. The survey includes scales to rate the concept of mandatory or voluntary shuttles during the busy season, along with ideas such as expanding Quandary’s parking lot, paid parking and “consistent enforcement” of rules.
Trailhead parking is quick to fill in the summer, leading cars to line either side of the highway and create more hazards on private property and adjacent roads, blocking emergency vehicles from getting in and out. That’s the picture painted by a study that preceded the recent survey.