The change, if approved, would upend a decades-old standard. Instead of closing roads and trails to motorized traffic unless otherwise noted, the new rule would open them to all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and other machinery by default, unless they’re explicitly closed to such traffic.

The  would also eliminate a standard that requires federal land managers to minimize environmental harm and conflict between users when deciding whether to open a trail or road to motorized vehicles.

The rule is the framework Forest Service officials use when deciding which roads and trails should be open to motorized travel. The Forest Service is the , where it oversees 11.3 million acres of land crisscrossed by thousands of miles of roads and trails. The land managed by the agency in Colorado spans more than 17,600 square miles — larger than the states of Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

“Travel management sounds anodyne and wonky, but in many ways it’s how visitors are going to experience their national forests,” said Dan Hartinger, the senior director of policy advocacy for The Wilderness Society.

about the proposed changes made public last month. But people who use motorized vehicles on public lands say the change could rebalance a planning process that tilted against them.

The change to the travel rule follows several other major policy shifts for the 200 million acres managed nationally by the Forest Service. Most notably, the agency is pursuing a repeal of its roadless rule, which banned logging and the construction of roads in vast swaths of wilderness, though the proposed rescission would not affect Colorado.

Forest Service leaders framed the changes to the travel rule as needed deregulation and an effort to increase access to public lands. The proposed change would make the travel-planning process “less burdensome, more efficient and timelier, and more responsive to recreational and other access needs on forests and grasslands across the country,” according to the notice published by the agency.

“The Forest Service administers more than 380,000 miles of road, exceeding the length of the U.S. Interstate Highway System by nearly eight times, and 165,000 miles of trails,” Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in . “This action provides the legal foundation to streamline and modernize the Travel Management Rule and align Forest Service policy with administration priorities to increase access and protect private and commercial interests, while conserving natural resources.”

The proposed rule would also open the door to using motorized vehicles off trails and roads to retrieve hunted game animals, collect firewood and camp. In addition, the notice proposes categorizing e-bikes as nonmotorized travel, which could allow them to be used on trails that allow non-electric bikes.

‘A free-for-all for trails and roads’

Conservation groups opposed to the proposed changes to the 2005 travel rule cited concerns that increasing motorized access would harm wildlife and ecosystems. It could also create conflict between motorized users and those who seek quieter experiences in nature.

“There will essentially be a free-for-all for trails and roads and anything that looks like a trail or road on Forest Service land,” said Tom Delehanty, a senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain office.

There’s a tipping point at which road density begins to impact wildlife reproduction rates, especially in large mammals like elk, mule deer and bears, Hartinger said. An increasing number of studies also connect increased noise to negative wildlife outcomes, he said.

Increased motorized use could also increase wildfire risk, Delehanty said. More than half of wildfires in the western U.S. are ignited by people, . Increased access raises the risk, Delehanty said.

The proposed change would not apply to wilderness areas, Hartinger said, like the popular in the Front Range and the iconic near Aspen. While are protected from motorized travel by law, the broader Forest Service land that surrounds them would become more open to motorized use.

Increased motorized access on trails and roads that lead to wilderness areas could result in more driving in the areas, whether those drivers are breaking the law intentionally or not, Hartinger said.

For Coloradans who use ATVs, dirt bikes and off-road vehicles on public lands, the proposed change is a welcome update.

“I think it����ap needed and overdue,” said Marcus Trusty, the founder and president of , a volunteer advocacy group working to keep trails open to motorized use. “What I anticipate is the new rule will make it more balanced.”

A paradigm shift welcomed by some

For years, if the off-roading community wanted to use a trail or road, it had to prove motorized travel would minimally impact an area.

The rule change would flip the burden of proof, Trusty said.

He challenged the concept of separating nonmotorized and motorized users of public lands. Most people use cars and trucks on Forest Service roads to access trailheads and rivers in national forests, he noted. While he loves off-roading, he also hikes, backpacks and climbs, he said.

“We don’t want unchecked, unfettered access and people destroying things on the national forest,” Trusty said. “We just want the opportunity for the public to enjoy places we like to go.”

It’s unclear how and when Forest Service officials will implement any changes on the ground if it amends the rule. The federal notice states that the rule change would guide future decisions “and would not itself change the legal status of any road, trail, airfield, trailhead, area, or other access route or point.”

But the notice also outlines a proposed new requirement that local Forest Service offices annually review trails and roads in their jurisdictions that may warrant consideration to open to motorized access.

It’s unclear how Forest Service offices — already understaffed and underfunded — will manage the additional work on top of an already massive backlog of trail and road maintenance work, Hartinger said.

“Coloradans have, in some ways, a lot of skin in the game because Colorado is home to two of the top 10 most-visited national forests in the country,” Hartinger said, referencing the White River National Forest and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.

The Forest Service is accepting public comment on the proposed rule change through Sept. 23. People can submit comments .

The agency intends to publish its preliminary analysis of the environmental impact of the rule change next spring and make a final decision in early 2028.

On Wednesday, officials with the White River National Forest announced it would everywhere except for the Dillon Ranger District. Starting Friday, campfires will be permitted in metal fire rings and concrete fire pits built and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. Charcoal-fueled fires are also allowed in grated grills at the agency’s picnic areas and campgrounds.

It’s important to note that fires in rock rings or at dispersed sites are not allowed under Stage 1, and neither are explosives such as fireworks. Similarly, smoking is restricted to inside buildings, vehicles and developed recreation sites.

The Dillon Ranger District, which includes all of Summit County, remains under , meaning no open fires whatsoever. Camp stoves and firepits fueled by liquid gas are permissible as long as they remain 3 feet away from flammable materials.

“Recent moisture has reduced fire danger, but it is important to remain vigilant as we head into the holiday weekend with continued high visitation,” White River National Forest Supervisor Brian Glaspell said in a statement. “In the sites where fires are permitted, please be sure your fire is out and cold before leaving it unattended.”

The White River area is Colorado’s most popular national forest. Its move to lower fire restrictions follows others throughout the state, including the , , ,�����Ի� — all of which are currently under Stage 1.

There are currently no fire restrictions in place within the and . Restrictions will be lifted in the starting Thursday.

Colorado weathered one of its worst fire seasons in recent memory this summer with several large blazes causing many millions of dollars in damage. The most destructive was the Aspen Acres fire, which consumed 102,000 acres in Custer, Pueblo and Fremont counties and went on record as the state’s seventh largest wildfire.

Travelers should remain cautious since fire danger is still high. Counties each have their own restrictions, so be sure to check those out at the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s before your next adventure.

UPDATED at 3:32 p.m. on Sept. 2 to include the end of fire restrictions in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is taking a zero tolerance approach to illegally made fires, and the department filmed its officers issuing at least three citations since Stage 1 fire restrictions went into effect last Friday, said patrol sergeant Mike Schilling. The agency made a to warn visitors.

“First and foremost, it’s a priority for the sheriff’s office because we want to keep our community safe,” Schilling said. “The warning is the signage at the trailhead, it’s in (news) stories like these, it’s on social media. Once you start an illegal fire, the time for a warning has passed.”

Stage 1 restrictions prohibit open fires anywhere but in permanent, designated rings built by the U.S. Forest Service. At dispersed campsites, the fire rings are usually made by previous campers, so fires are not permitted there. Additionally, fireworks are prohibited under Stage 1, so don’t expect to light up in the wilderness on the Fourth of July holiday.

But the White River National Forest expects to move to Stage 2 fire restrictions this Friday (June 26), according to spokesperson David Boyd. That means no wood-fueled or charcoal fires whatsoever. Campers are only permitted to use gas stoves to cook or roast marshmallows while out.

Following one of Colorado’s warmest and driest winters on record, most of the state is experiencing drought and is at high risk for wildfires. In Summit County, residential and commercial developments abut the forests, so the potential for fires to cause property damage and displace residents is especially concerning, Schilling said.

Cooking camping meals, s’mores is still possible under Colorado’s fire bans. Here’s how.

When officers issue someone a citation, they are summoned to court where a judge determines individual penalties for each violation.

The White River National Forest encompasses the wilderness around Summit County hotspots like Breckenridge, Keystone and Silverthorne, as well as areas in Vail, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and more. Last weekend, the Dillon Ranger District team marked about 120 rock fire rings with yellow “no campfire” flags and posted fire restriction signs at more than 120 trailheads, day use, and roadside locations, Boyd said. Additionally, the crew made over 200 contacts with the public, extinguished two abandoned campfires, and issued two warnings.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office relies on citizens to report illegal fires, so Schilling encouraged people to do so by calling or texting 911.

“While the vast majority come here to be responsible, a lot of folks get out here and say, ‘hey, you know, this is the vacation I've been dreaming about for years and I’m going to make my fire regardless.' We certainly come across that every year,” Schilling said. “We want visitors of Summit County to know that our community takes fire danger extremely seriously.”

Fire managers base decisions about fire restrictions on fuel‑moisture measurements, predicted weather, regional fire activity, and other risk factors. Stage 1 fire restrictions are currently active or forthcoming in the ; the ; the ; the in the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands; the ; and the .

The 3,314-acre is located west of the Peak to Peak Highway near Rollinsville in a wide, scenic valley adjacent to the James Peak Wilderness and the Roosevelt National Forest. It is situated at the headwaters of South Boulder Creek, along the railroad line that leads to the Moffat Tunnel, and is considered rich wildlife habitat.

Charles Hanson Toll, who served as Colorado’s third attorney general, purchased the land in 1893 and it remained under the family’s ownership for more than 130 years. Family members agreed to a conservation easement in 2015, essentially giving up development rights, and have now sold it for preservation under state ownership.

Terms of the purchase were not disclosed but the realtor handling the sale, Denver-based Mirr Ranch Group, .

“What����ap extraordinary about Tolland Ranch is, you never find (available) properties east of the Continental Divide that are of this size,” said Justin Spring, The Conservation Fund’s Colorado director. “To find it with sellers who are willing to sell for conservation is just a great match. This property actually touches the James Peak Wilderness, and that����ap 17,000 acres. Then you have the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. It����ap really adding to that complex of protected land.”

Formed in 1985, The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit environmental organization that buys at-risk land with high conservation values for the purpose of turning it over to long-term ownership dedicated to environmental preservation. comes at a time when wildlife along the Front Range is under heavy pressure due to development.

“Habitat loss and climate change are the two biggest threats to wildlife in Colorado,” said Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Kara Van Hoose. “With growing development pushing wildlife into spaces that they have not been before, and maybe they’re not comfortable with, you lose that safety for them and you lose the connectivity of migration corridors and where they spend calving seasons.

“When you have this piece of property that elk are already living on — they already calve, they already travel through — and you’re able to preserve it so no development will ever happen on it, that����ap a really big deal,” she added.

The property includes 3.5 miles along South Boulder Creek, 16 ponds and a lake that Parks and Wildlife is eyeing for fisheries and fishing opportunities. It is critical habitat for elk, deer and moose, with species including blue grouse, snowshoe hares, red foxes and varieties of waterfowl.

The north end of the property encompasses cross-country ski trails operated by the Eldora Nordic Center, which it has been leasing from the Toll family.

“We saw this, with CPW, as an opportunity to take a private property and make it a public amenity — open up new public access for fishing, hunting, securing the ongoing opportunity to have Nordic skiing on the Eldora trails,” Spring said.

Henry “Wolky” Toll, great-grandson of Charles Hanson Toll, said the family’s conservation values can be traced back to his 19th-century ancestors. He vividly recalls a trip he took over Vail Pass with his father many years ago, prior to Vail becoming a resort town.

“He knew something was going to happen there,” Toll recalled. “I still have in my mind looking out and seeing one barn. Then you go back through Vail, and all that other stuff through the Eagle Valley — I would be so hurt to see that happen at Tolland.”

Parks and Wildlife officials say the property will be managed primarily for the benefit of wildlife and will not become a state park. The agency manages about 350 state wildlife areas around Colorado.

“A state wildlife area is property that is set aside specifically for hunters, anglers and wildlife-viewing opportunities,” Van Hoose said. “It����ap very different from a state park. With a state park, you have a visitor center, an entrance station and hiking trails. A state wildlife area doesn’t have any of that. It����ap just land. There are no set trails, and you have to have a state wildlife area pass (to enter).”

Tolland Ranch won’t be entirely off-limits for recreation, however.

“It����ap a little bit of a different management than we’ve had before, because it does have a mountain bike trail that is already there, and it does have those Nordic ski trails (at Eldora) that are already there,” Van Hoose said. “That����ap different from other state wildlife areas. Those opportunities will remain, but we are not going to be building any hiking trails.”

Gov. Jared Polis called the property “a beautiful gem,” adding that the acquisition will increase public access to the area.

“The existing bike trail access will continue, but it����ap a great place for fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing,” Polis said in an interview. “We have everything from state parks, which are a much more manicured experience, to wildlife areas like Tolland Ranch — kind of wide open for people to enjoy in very close to a natural state in perpetuity. A lot of people want that more natural experience, and we want to do our best to provide that to Coloradans.”

Jason Duetsch, area wildlife manager for Parks and Wildlife, said it will take some time for the agency to develop a management plan for the area. Elements of it will include rules regarding hunting and fishing, as well as the possibility of creating fisheries in the valley’s ponds.

“The hunting and wildlife habitat is huge,” Duetsch said. “Elk, deer, the fishery component, it����ap just super special. It����ap a gorgeous landscape and it is used by a lot of different species. It����ap not going to be a property that we’re looking at to try and get as many people on it as we can. It����ap going to be, ‘How can we make this best for wildlife, and how can we make sure there is a customer component they can enjoy as well?'”

Parks and Wildlife hopes to open the property for hunting and fishing opportunities in the fall.

“The Toll family has been great partners, first with the conservation easement that already exists on the property, but now a partner in ensuring that it����ap preserved,” Polis said. “And that (public) access is a key piece of that.”

In the , which are jointly administered and stretch along the Continental Divide from Mount Blue Sky to the Wyoming border, permits are on sale at a cost of $20 per tree. Recreation.gov charges a $2.50 service fee on top of that.

Permits must be secured in advance. Cutting in the Sulphur Ranger District, located in Grand County, is allowed now. In the Canyon Lakes Ranger District (Larimer County), trees can be taken beginning Saturday. The permit period for both runs through Jan. 7.

Rules governing allowable tree cutting in the Arapaho and Roosevelt forests include:

• No cutting near developed recreation areas — campgrounds or picnic areas, for example — or residential areas
• No cutting in wilderness areas, the Fraser experimental forest, the Cache La Poudre wild and scenic river corridor or the Winter Park/Mary Jane ski areas
• No cutting within 75 feet of a road, trail, trailhead or developed recreation site
• Tree trunks must be six inches in diameter or less, and must be cut no more than six inches from the ground
• No cutting of trees marked with blue paint
• Cutting is prohibited in the Boulder and Clear Creek ranger districts

The has detailed rules and links to maps of the and ranger districts, designating areas where cutting is not allowed.

For the , which stretches across the central Colorado high country from Summit County to Glenwood Springs and beyond, permits ($10 per tree) are available at and at ranger stations in Dillon, Meeker, Minturn and Rifle. Rules in the White River include:

• Trees must be less than 15 feet tall, no greater than six inches in diameter, and must not be a Colorado Blue Spruce
• No cutting in wilderness areas or developed recreation areas, including Glenwood Canyon
• Must be 100 feet from main roads
• No cutting in the Camp Hale area, White River forest land within Gunnison County, lower Meadow Mountain near Minturn and fire closure areas of Grizzly and Deep creeks

The offers detailed rules and maps of five ranger districts — Aspen-Sopris, Blanco, Dillon, Eagle-Holy Cross and Rifle — designating areas where cutting is not allowed.

The Pike-San Isabel National Forests, located south and west of Denver, are jointly administered. , cost $20 for the Pike and $10 for San Isabel. Their rules differ from White River and the Arapaho-Roosevelt. Trees may be taken up to 15 feet tall or six inches in diameter at ground level. They must be 200 feet from main roads, recreation sites and campgrounds, and at least 50 feet from backcountry roads, trails and waterways. More detailed information can be found at .

For Colorado’s other six national forests — Grand Mesa, Gunnison, Rio Grande, Routt, San Juan and Uncompahgre — consult their websites.

Two more things: Fourth graders who hold are entitled to free Christmas trees in national forests, although they still must secure a cutting permit through recreation.gov. The tree is free but they still must pay the $2.50 service charge.

And while it may be obvious, just for the record, tree cutting in Rocky Mountain National Park is prohibited.

“It’s a bit of a hike, but to those who are adventuresome, nothing beats it,” . “One of the greatest state parks in the state of Colorado.”

Polis regards the addition of in 2020 as a signature event in his legacy as governor. But that strenuous hike wasn’t just a photo op. It also reflected his personal love for the outdoors and the priority his administration places on outdoor recreation.

As he approaches his final year as governor, Polis, 50, can see his legacy taking on a sharp focus when it comes to public lands, recreation and conservation. He enjoys being regarded by some as Colorado’s outdoors governor, because that was his goal from the beginning.

“When I think about where we need to go as a state, I think we need to make sure we up our game on conservation, on access, on making the most of this amazing natural asset that we have which defines the very character of our state,” Polis said in an interview recently at the governor’s mansion. “For me, it����ap like, how can I make my mark as governor to provide an intergenerational benefit to make our outdoors even more amazing?”

Among his biggest successes is the , a discounted annual state parks pass that is sold as an option with motor vehicle registrations. Its creation was on his agenda when running for his first term, which began in 2019, and it raised $39.7 million for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the 2023-24 fiscal year, its first full year of sales. CPW says preliminary figures for the fiscal year that ended June 30 stood at more than $41.6 million.

He also kept state parks open during the COVID lockdown. He doubled public access to State Land Trust land from 478,000 acres in 2018 to 973,000 acres and wants to add more. He supported a compromise between environmental groups and Colorado’s oil and gas industry in 2024 that will funnel more than $56 million to CPW in the current fiscal year (and as much as $59 million next year).

This year, he announced a partnership involving the state, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies that will enable CPW to manage federal land on and around Pikes Peak. As “America’s mountain,” it’s a tourist draw and popular recreation area, he said. But in recent years, locals complained that it was getting “trashed” by overuse and poor management.

“What we’re going to see with Pikes Peak is so exciting, to bring all these folks to the table, a lot of folks who historically have not agreed on a lot,” said Conor Hall, who works for the governor as director of the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

“That can be a real model. It does not happen without Gov. Polis’ leadership,” Hall added. “We wouldn’t have the resources without the Keep Colorado Wild pass.”

Elevating the conversation

The addition of Fishers Peak was personal for Polis. Not only is it a magnificent landscape, but the park is expected to have a significant economic impact on tourism in Trinidad and Animas County.

“As somebody who has lived in Boulder for most of my life, I can’t imagine a Boulder where you couldn’t hike up to and experience the Flatirons,” he explained. “Citizens of Trinidad, for a generation, were able to see the iconic Fishers Peak, but it was completely cut off to access. It was severed from the community that it defined.

“It was like putting salt in a wound, that it was closed to access,” he added. “Now it����ap open to access and has the added advantage of attracting visitors that benefit the economy in Trinidad.”

Fishers Peak was acquired by the state in partnership with two national nonprofit organizations, the and . Jim Petterson, vice president for the mountain region of the Trust for Public Land, is struck by the governor’s sincerity when advocating for Colorado’s outdoors.

“Every time I’ve heard him speak about it, he just seems to really nail the fact that it is part of who we are, and how integral the outdoors and outdoor access is to our economy,” Petterson said. “He has elevated the conversation in those areas.”

Hall acknowledges that advocating for the outdoors is “politically smart” in Colorado, but he says it springs from “a place of deep passion and personal experience” for Polis.

“He talks about growing up in the outdoors, exploring, finding trails,” Hall said. “His parents are very deeply environmental, nature-conscious people.”

Indeed, Polis grew up hiking with his family and calls himself “a good skier.” He also keeps a massive framed photo of himself fishing in a mountain lake when he was 14. Measuring 33 x 38 inches, it hangs in a conference room at the governor’s mansion.

Not every one of Polis’s projects has gone as planned, however. In 2021, for instance, Polis announced that Sweetwater Lake, an idyllic and isolated gem 14 miles north of Glenwood Canyon, would become Colorado’s 43rd state park on White River National Forest land. That hasn’t happened yet, however, due in part to community pushback.

The property was purchased by in 2020 to prevent it from being developed into an expensive resort. Working through the Eagle Valley Land Trust, the conservancy transferred the land to the national forest, which lacks the resources to operate it. Locals were alarmed when Polis made the state park announcement, fearing the relatively small 488-acre park would be overrun by outsiders.

“Whether a (state) park or not, I think they all are happy we’ve preserved it from being a development for multi-millionaires and a golf course,” Polis said. “One of the concerns that many residents have is, how do you balance visitation with the quality of the experience? We’re able to best do that by managing it as a state park — whatever you call it.”

Forest officials are planning to grant CPW a 20-year special use permit for Sweetwater, pending an environmental review. A final resolution is anticipated next spring.

Working with the federal government

Polis said more partnerships between the well-funded CPW and underfunded federal agencies, such as those governing Sweetwater and Pikes Peak, are likely to come.

“You can say I’m pursuing half a dozen at least,” said Polis, declining to identify them. “The U.S. Forest Service owns amazing potential recreation areas and existing recreation areas. However, they have very little funding and very little manpower to support recreation.

“And, it����ap getting worse,’ he continued. “It was bad before (Trump administration cuts). We have the ability to do much more, through Colorado Parks and Wildlife generally, but also GOCO () and other entities.” GOCO has invested $1.4 billion from Colorado Lottery proceeds to fund outdoor projects since 1992.

Polis said federal authorities have been receptive to state assistance.

“This began under the Biden administration and didn’t have any hiccups during the transition,” Polis said. “It����ap very much the direction of both the Biden and Trump administrations. Acknowledging that they have had cuts in the park service and the forest service, they are absolutely entertaining partnerships.”

That could even involve operating Rocky Mountain National Park and the state’s other three national parks in the event of a federal government shutdown. Polis said the state already has contingency plans for that.

“We are ready with our plan if the federal government shuts down,” Polis said. “We will keep our national parks open. That requires cooperation with the federal government. Both Biden and Trump, when they were facing shutdowns, were fine with that. It����ap a matter of us figuring out how to pay for it and do it. We haven’t had to do it, but we came very close a couple times.”

Polis pushed for the creation of outdoor regional partnerships, funded by the state, that bring together stakeholders to brainstorm for ways to improve wildlife management, sustainable recreation and protection of wild spaces. Created by an executive order in 2020, there are 21 regional partnerships now across the state. One is the , which successfully lobbied for CPW management of federal lands there.

Another is that includes Rocky Mountain National Park, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, CPW and five Front Range counties — Larimer, Boulder, Gilpin, Jefferson and Clear Creek. The goal is to find strategies to meet northern Colorado’s future needs in the outdoors, including the impact of population growth in the Front Range.

“Gov. Polis had the foresight to see the need to balance outdoor recreation and conservation, and the need to act, so we protect what makes our state so special,” said NoCo Places founder Steve Coffin, who retired this summer. “The Regional Partnership Initiative he created to do just that is an excellent way to balance outdoor recreation and conservation, make the state more climate resilient, and do all that in a way that is based on local needs and values.”

Last year, Polis signed legislation imposing “production fees” on the state’s oil and gas industry to remediate its environmental impacts. CPW will use the $115 million it receives over the next two years for land and wildlife habitat conservation and restoration.

“You can create infrastructure and plans, but it doesn’t do a lot unless you have money,” Petterson said. “That����ap where some of these investments like the oil and gas production fee and the Keep Colorado Wild pass come into play. He’s thinking about how to make this commitment to the outdoors durable, so that it endures beyond his administration.”

The signs went up on July 23 on a section of the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway at the 11,670-foot summit of the pass, 11 miles south of Georgetown. Trails on the east side of the pass lead to Mount Bierstadt and Mount Blue Sky. Trails on the west side lead to two scenic alpine lakes beneath Square Top Mountain, another prime hiking destination.

Clear Creek County officials want to prevent motorists from illegally parking on the shoulders because it could obstruct or prevent first responders from getting through in an emergency.

“We had two emergency incidents, one on our side, one on the Park County side,” said Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jenny Fulton, referring to last year’s leaf-peeping season.

“Emergency vehicles could not respond in a timely manner because of the vehicles on both sides of the roadway. They took a two-lane roadway and made it one lane,” she added. “That����ap why we started doing some parking mitigation up there, and we’re going to do more this year for leaf-peeping to mitigate the traffic volume and parking issues.”

During two leaf-peeping weekends last year, Fulton said, the number of cars on the 22-mile byway, between Georgetown, off of Interstate 70, and Grant in Park County, hit 10,000 both days. Since then, officials from Clear Creek County, Park County, the Arapaho National Forest and the town of Georgetown have been meeting regularly in order to prevent “a disaster,” she added.

That will take the form of checkpoints on both sides of the pass in 2025, posted with sheriff’s deputies.

“If we need to, we’re going to end up closing the road temporarily just to ensure it����ap not overcrowded during leaf-peeping,” Fulton said. “We’re also going to be towing vehicles that are parking illegally and are blocking the roadway. We can’t do what happened last year. We can’t risk people’s lives by not being able to respond to emergencies at the summit.”

Until then, hikers are warned not to park along the road at the summit where the no-parking signs have been posted. Violators will be fined $87.50. There are two lots near the summit, located on forest service land, but they tend to overflow during fourteener season.

“The parking lots are designed for the capacity of the trail system,” Fulton said. “When people are overflowing parking lots and parking on both sides of the roadway a mile down, then there’s too many people on the trails. The trails are not made for that volume of foot traffic. The forest service has designed their parking lots with the capacity of the trail system in mind.”

The EPA that it intends to deny Colorado’s plan to shutter coal-fired power plants as part of the state’s strategy to reduce the regional haze that clouds views at and other federal lands. Colorado was previously allowed to list coal-plant closures as an acceptable strategy to reduce haze.

Cyrus Western, director of , which includes Colorado, affirmed to The Denver Post that the denial is part of the Trump administration’s plan to make sure no federal regulations stand in the way of coal-fired power generation.

Western, a Trump appointee from Wyoming, which is the nation’s largest producer of coal, did not say the EPA would override Colorado’s laws that require the coal-burning plants to close, although the Federal Register notice indicates the agency might do so.

“What the legislature does and what the governor does, the laws they pass, that is the state’s business,” Western said. “But from a federal standpoint, we want to be sure there will not be a single shutdown of a coal-fired generation unit because of federal regulation or by the federal government breathing down their necks.”

The EPA’s proposal alarmed environmentalists who have been leery of President Donald Trump’s repeated remarks about and his executive orders that promote the coal industry.

The president this year has used executive orders — citing energy emergencies — to and . And the EPA under Trump’s leadership has proposed repealing Biden administration regulations that would have reduced greenhouse gas emissions from coal power plants and required the power sector to cut mercury and other air toxics.

“It����ap in keeping with the ideology of this administration to do everything possible to prop up the dying coal industry,” said Jeremy Nichols, senior advocate with the . “It����ap absurd.”

The ruling is a pivot from past EPA decisions that allow the closing of coal-fired power plants to count toward clean air goals, Nichols said, and it could pave the way for and other utilities to keep their coal-fired plants running.

“It doesn’t help to have the EPA telling the state it����ap illegal to close coal-fired power plants,” Nichols said. “This is a punch in the face to Colorado’s climate progress.”

But Colorado regulators said the EPA’s proposed denial of Colorado’s plans will not have an impact on the state because the retirement dates for all of the state’s remaining coal plants remain enforceable under state law and the transition already is underway.

“Utilities are moving away from coal because it����ap no longer the most affordable or reliable option,” said Michael Ogletree, senior director of state air quality programs at the . “Many coal plants have already shut down or are on track to retire — driven by economics and cost savings for consumers, not federal mandates. That transition is locked in through utility planning and will continue regardless of this federal decision.”

Gov. Jared Polis’ office reiterated the point that the utility companies operating in the state already have plans to close those plants.

“Colorado utilities have their own ambitious plans to reduce costs, including retiring costly coal plants to transition to more stable clean energy, and lower costs,” Ally Sullivan, a governor’s spokesperson, said in an email. “The EPA’s proposed denial has no meaningful impact on utilities’ plans to move away from coal because it����ap no longer the most affordable or reliable option.”

Utilty wants to keep plant open

However, the EPA’s notice in the Federal Register stated that told the agency in April that it wants to exclude its in Fountain from the state’s closure plans. The utility also met with state regulators on April 23 to ask that Nixon be allowed to remain open, according to the Federal Register notice.

Danielle Nieves, a Colorado Springs Utilities spokesperson, said the company is still scheduled to shutter Nixon in 2029, but that date is causing reliability challenges and the utility is having difficulties finding resources for the transition to renewable energy.

“The market for renewable energy resources across the country is tremendously challenging with ongoing supply chain congestion and regulatory uncertainty — resulting in renewable energy resources being three to five times more expensive than originally forecasted,” she said in an email.

Nieves said the utility is supportive of the EPA’s recommendation to exclude Nixon from the regional haze plan “because Colorado doesn’t need the Nixon closure to achieve its reasonable progress targets, and that choosing to include Nixon could present serious reliability challenges for Colorado Springs Utilities.”

Spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo said Xcel remains committed to retiring its coal units — including the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo — by the end of 2030.

“Nothing in this action from the Environmental Protection Agency directly changes our Colorado resource plans,” she said in an emailed statement.

Although Western said that “what Colorado does is Colorado’s business,” the EPA’s notification argued that the Clean Air Act does not give states the ability to order coal power plants to close, citing the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the government from taking private property without just compensation.

The EPA also argues — although without specific evidence — that forcing the closures would violate Colorado state law.

Coal is one of the dirtiest forms of electricity generation, annually releasing millions of tons of pollutants into the air that contribute to global warming and harm human health. Those emissions include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter. Those power plants also create a coal ash byproduct that leaches contaminants such as lithium and selenium into groundwater.

‘Turning that progress backwards’

Coal emissions help create a haze in the skies, and that haze has become a problem at national parks across the country, including Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, said Tracy Copolla, the Colorado program manager.

“We are still in a situation where there is significant regional haze in Colorado,” Copolla said. “It goes for miles and miles and miles.”

Ulla Reeves, the National Park Conservation Association’s clean air program director, said the EPA’s proposal is undercutting Colorado’s progress to clean its air.

“Colorado had one of the strongest plans that we’ve seen in the entire country,” Reeves said. “This is really turning that progress backwards. It����ap extremely concerning what the EPA is doing here and undercutting the state’s authority.”

The EPA opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposed rule and multiple environmental groups said they plan to weigh in. They hope Colorado does as well.

“The state really needs to flex its muscles and try to stymie the feds,” Nichols said.

The vandalism includes the initials “JJ” and “MG” surrounded by a heart, according to a .

“There are many ways to express love. Spray painting a rock at beautiful St. Mary’s Glacier in the Arapaho National Forest is NOT one of them,” sheriff’s officials said. “It’s illegal, it’s selfish and it’s more permanent than their love likely will be.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about who JJ and MG are can contact the .

The spectacular Indian Peaks Wilderness, administered by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, is located along the Continental Divide south of Rocky Mountain National Park and north of Nederland. It includes a string of 13,000-foot peaks, six passes over the divide, 50 lakes, and 28 trails covering 133 miles. Some of the peaks overlook the picturesque Brainard Lake Recreation area.

Backcountry permits cost $5 and are available through

In the most popular zones — Crater Lake, Jasper Lake, Diamond Lake and Caribou Lake — camping is allowed in designated areas only. There is a . There also is a on the recreation.gov site, explaining how to obtain permits.

Overnight parking reservations for visitors are now available. ($16) through recreation.gov.

Thorough planning for backcountry trips and knowing the rules is important:.

• Campfires are prohibited at all times on the east side of the divide. West of the divide, campfire restrictions apply when in effect due to fire danger.
• Visitors are encouraged to pack food in bear-safe storage containers, or hang their food out of the reach of hungry bears.
• Visitors should be equipped to pack out trash and be familiar with Leave No Trace principles.
• Dogs must be leashed.

Day use reservations for Brainard Lake will be available on a rolling basis beginning in mid-May. The Brainard Lake entry station will open June 14 if conditions allow. Upper trailheads and parking areas should open in July.

And here’s a reminder: The road to the summit of Mount Blue Sky, typically managed by CDOT and the Arapaho National Forest with a reservation system, will remain closed this summer for repairs.