Foot traffic, trash damage Colorado s iconic Ice Lakes trail
by John Meyer, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 19, 2020 10:11 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 19, 2020 at 10:12 am EDT
SILVERTON, Colo. While reports of crowding and resource damage in Colorado’s public lands have been commonplace during the coronavirus pandemic, what unfolded over the summer in the spectacular Ice Lakes area of the San Juan Range near Silverton has to be among the most egregious.
Campfires were built on sensitive high alpine tundra, fueled by wood pilfered from historic mining structures. Human waste was left around the perimeter of Ice Lake and neighbouring Island Lake. Campers unable to find legal campsites near the trailhead below set up tents on roadsides or overstayed 14-day limits on legal sites, The Denver Post reports.