The most popular path to three of the state’s 14,000-foot peaks near Telluride will reopen to hikers under a deal between a conservation group and a Texas developer.
The Trust for Public Land has reached a tentative agreement with Rusty Nichols, owner of 220 acres of mining claims, to buy his property, which would provide access to the Silver Pick Trail that leads to Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak and Wilson Peak.
There has been only limited access for the past three years.
“We really have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here,” said Jason Corzine, senior project manager for the nonprofit conservation group.
“This is very much one of the symbols of Colorado,” Corzine said, “and we can get it back into the public domain.”
The price was not disclosed, but the Telluride Foundation – which contributed $150,000 – pegged it at $3 million.
Nichols once had sought tens of millions of dollars based on the property’s mining potential.
“The reason I am moving forward … at this time is because they have been aggressively pursuing a conservation solution that recognizes the value of both the minerals and the properties,” Nichols wrote in an e-mail.
At one point, Nichols announced plans to renew working the mining claims and had obtained a mining permit from the state but not from San Miguel County.
“We’re not only restoring public access to Wilson Peak but also to prevent the potential for mining,” said Scott Dissel, development director for the Trust for Public Land. “There’s a potential for a lot more damage than just blocking the public access that exists.”
The conservation group plans to turn the property over to the U.S. Forest Service, which failed in its own negotiations with Nichols for a land exchange.
“This will really help the situation,” district ranger Judy Schutza said.
The effort in the San Juan Mountains comes as the Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative is hammering out a route through private mining claims on three other popular fourteeners near Fairplay – Mounts Lincoln, Democrat and Bross – which legally have been off-limits to hikers.
In both ranges, many hikers have ignored warnings against trespassing and forged ahead on well-trod paths, raising the ire of landowners nervous about liability and private-property intrusions.
“We respect private property in Texas. Some people do not here,” Nichols wrote. “Why should we suffer the liability of trespass, the damages and threats just because we have property that is surrounded by the forest?”
Abandoned mine buildings and tunnels still dot the Wilson massif, which has served as the backdrop for Coors beer commercials.
The Silver Pick gold mine, which was established in 1882 and operated as recently as 1961, had 8,000 feet of tunnels and a mile-long aerial tram, according to the classic “A Climbing Guide to Colorado’s Fourteeners” by Walter Borneman and Lyndon Lampert.
Although there are other routes up the Wilson group, notably by either Navajo or Kilpacker basins, they are longer and considered more difficult.
Last year, Nichols charged hikers $100 each to the Silver Pick Trail across his property – having them sign a waiver and pay through a website. This summer, even that option isn’t available.
Tara Butson, co-owner of the San Juan Outdoor School, said the Silver Pick route is preferred among their clients seeking guided climbs, and they have negotiated with Nichols for access in the past.
“Most of the guide services would be very happy to have that reopened,” she said. “It’s still a pretty intense route. It’s easier because it’s not death-defying.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
