New policies for Blue Lakes, CO

[MonikaC]

For those of you who like or aspire to photographing at Blue Lakes in Colorado, there is a new permit system in the works. As per The Denver Post: not only overnight campers, but also day use will require permits May-Oct. It will also eliminate dispersed camping near the trailhead and camping above treeline. The Forest Service is proposing a limit of 40 people/day for day use and 24 overnight permits/night but only 4 designated campsites available (they will "remediate" the existing 144 existing campsites. After monitoring the impact, the Forest Service may modify those numbers. Camping would only be at lower Blue Lake, the trailhead & along the trail. All waste will be required to be packed out in WAG bags (not buried). Bear-proof food storage will be required. This would start in 2025. Initially permits would be free but eventually require a fee. Social trail & roads will be closed.

 

[JimFox]

Monika, not sure when the last time you have been to Blue Lake, but CR7 is deteriorating at a very rapid pace. I venture to say that in 2 years it will be a 4x4 only road, which by itself will eliminate the number of people accessing it.

40 people a day, along with 24 overnight frankly seems like a shame. It's going from 1 extreme to the other. I read their reasoning, and I don't know that I totally agree. Instagram has caused an over run of just about all of our natural locations, but cutting the number down to 64 doesn't seem reasonable at all. It's too late at night for me to be running the numbers, but it sounds more like the government being overbearing once again when it comes to our public lands.

 

[MonikaC]

Monika, not sure when the last time you have been to Blue Lake, but CR7 is deteriorating at a very rapid pace. I venture to say that in 2 years it will be a 4x4 only road, which by itself will eliminate the number of people accessing it.

40 people a day, along with 24 overnight frankly seems like a shame. It's going from 1 extreme to the other. I read their reasoning, and I don't know that I totally agree. Instagram has caused an over run of just about all of our natural locations, but cutting the number down to 64 doesn't seem reasonable at all. It's too late at night for me to be running the numbers, but it sounds more like the government being overbearing once again when it comes to our public lands.

I was there about 2 weeks ago & the road was in pretty good shape. It's probably quite different in summer, when more people are hiking there. I drive slowly on dirt roads to minimize the washboarding (unlike the photographer in a Jeep who roared past me in a hurry to get to the spot where there was a clot of photographers shooting the meadow/marsh with the mountains around Blue Lake in the background so she could get "the shot" at the right time of day..........even though the aspen were only maybe 50% changed).

Losing the dispersed camping along the road is a shame since it's about the only dispersed camping in the area. Way back on CR 9 where the road gets very narrow is about the only other choice that I know of. Maybe you know of others, since you've gone there much more than I have.