Officials in Pitkin County are hoping they can soon take over the management of the iconic — and busy — Maroon Bells recreation area from the U.S. Forest Service, which for years has lacked the funding and staff needed to care for trails and amenities there. That change, however, will likely mean it costs more to visit in future summers.
The near Maroon Lake is among Colorado’s most well-known destinations, recording about 215,000 visits annually between May and October. It is a part of the larger Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. But despite its popularity, the current recreation fee program and reservation system don’t come close to covering what it costs the Forest Service to manage the area.
Entry fees to access Maroon Bells generate about $220,000 in revenue each year, but the agency spends about $600,000 to manage it, “resulting in a $380,000 funding gap not covered by the fees,” Forest Service spokesperson David Boyd told The Denver Post by email.
“Adequate staffing at Maroon Bells has been a challenge for the Forest Service for a number of years, in large part because of the high cost of living,” Boyd said.
The Forest Service began discussing the possibility of transferring management of the area to Pitkin County last summer, so that it can continue to be a world-class wilderness destination. Recently, they to make it happen.
The idea is to issue Pitkin County a special use permit that would effectively put local officials in charge of the day-to-day operations as well as maintenance of the trails and amenities, said Gary Tennenbaum, director of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. That includes everything from running campgrounds and staffing the entrance station to cleaning bathrooms, taking out the trash and providing guests with water and electricity. Tennenbaum also anticipates partnering with other local organizations to clean up trails, restore areas of the forest, and provide education and information to visitors.
“Last year, they (the Forest Service) weren’t able to open all the bathrooms. They weren’t able to get the electricity and water going for people,” Tennenbaum said. “In the future, we’re going to be responsible for getting all that up and running. We’re going to make sure the bathrooms are in great shape. We’re going to make sure we’re dealing with noxious weeds, we’re dealing with trail management and maintenance — things that really they don’t have the capacity to deal with right now.”
If approved, the special use permit would be issued by summer 2027 and valid for five years, with the option to renew for another five years. The area would remain National Forest System land and under ownership of the federal government during that time.
This year, Tennenbaum and his colleagues in Pitkin County will be drafting an operating plan and fee structure that aims to balance the cost of managing the area with maintaining accessibility for the public. One thing he expects to see is an increase in the cost to park a car at Maroon Bells.
Right now, it costs $12.50 ($10 entry fee, plus $2.50 reservation fee) to bring a vehicle to the recreation area. That is likely to increase, Tennenbaum said, in hopes of incentivizing more people to use the currently existing shuttle service that runs from Aspen Highlands Ski Area to the Maroon Lake trailhead.
Costs to ride the shuttle, which is operated by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, may also increase slightly from where they sit at $16 per adult and $10 per child, when booked in advance. (Those who purchase a shuttle ticket day-of pay $20 per adult and $14 per child.)
“The costs of all this are a big deal, and thatap going to be one of the biggest things — can the county cover their costs, but charge a fee thatap reasonable?” he said, adding that officials will be soliciting public feedback on the subject this summer.
Even before this partnership is official, the Forest Service is instituting a $5 entry fee for e-bikes starting this summer to help increase revenue at Maroon Bells.
Tennenbaum described the deal as both a continuation and an expansion of Pitkin County’s partnership with the Forest Service. For 50 years, the county has helped manage parts of the Maroon Bells scenic area through various initiatives. For example, in 2026, the county is providing one full-time staff member to help supervise interns from the who work there seasonally, Tennenbaum said.
This is not the first time the Forest Service has leaned on better-resourced state and local agencies to manage federal land. The agency has been discussing a similar arrangement in Glenwood Springs, where it aims to grant a 20-year-long special use permit to Colorado Parks & Wildlife for management of Sweetwater Lake. The Forest Service expects to release the draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment later this summer or early fall, Boyd said.
Ultimately, Tennenbaum hopes Pitkin County receives the special use permit so that Maroon Bells remains a hallmark of Colorado’s outdoor recreation scene for generations to come.
“We’re going to manage the Bells as a community, and we have so many community partners that are going to help us,” Tennenbaum said. “If the county can control the fees, raise enough fees to manage this area and start to deal with the millions of dollars of deferred maintenance, we’re going to be able to, as a community, manage this incredible place the way it should be managed.”
