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Permits set to launch for popular Colorado wilderness

By Seth Boster February 2, 2023 | updated 2 years ago

Permits soon will be available for backpackers looking to visit some of the more popular areas of an iconic Colorado wilderness.

Starting Feb. 15, reservations are set to be posted on recreation.gov for summer trips to the most sought parts of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Costing $10 per person per night, the U.S. Forest Service says the reservations will be limited, as part of a previously stated effort to limit crowds and damage to certain areas.

As announced last year, permits will be required for people seeking the Four Pass Loop — which includes Crater and Snowmass lakes — as well as Conundrum Hot Springs and Geneva and Capitol lakes. The Forest Service says those have been the greatest areas of concern for “large amounts of trash and human waste, user conflicts and large-scale environmental impacts.”

The agency says revenue from the permits will be used to increase ranger presence, revegetate the landscape, and improve trails and education.

In a news release, Aspen-Sopris district ranger Kevin Warner called the permit program “critical to effectively manage and restore this premier backcountry destination.”

The program does not apply to the scene most synonymous with the Maroon Bells: the drive-to lake reflecting the twin peaks. Parking and shuttle reservations for that site will open March 1 at aspenchamber.org.

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Seth Boster

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