Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts will have to have parking reservations or take a free shuttle to gain access to Quandary Peak and the McCullough Gulch Trail Areas beginning Friday.
This new system is part of a pilot program that will run through Oct. 31. Those who do not adhere to the reservation system could receive a ticket or have their vehicle towed, according to a release from Summit County officials.
The shuttle will be offered from Breckenridge’s Airport Road and will bring hikers to the parking lot of each trail.
“The use of Quandary Peak trail has skyrocketed in the last several years and outgrown the capacity of the parking area at the trailhead, resulting in a number of issues for hikers and residents of the area,” said Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue in a release.
“It has become an incredibly dangerous situation for hikers. Illegal parking on county roads blocks access to the trailhead for emergency vehicles. We have been in need of a solution for quite some time.”
On some days, hikers have had to arrive at either trailhead as early as 4 a.m. in order to secure a parking spot, and the new pilot program should eliminate some issues, Pogue said.
Officials from Summit County, the Town of Breckenridge, the U.S. Forest Service and other stakeholders began studying the parking situation at both trails beginning last fall, which included interviewing hikers and locals.
As a result, the Quandary Peak, McCullough Gulch, and Blue Lakes Trailheads, Transportation and Visitor Use Managment Action Plan was born and included the free shuttle and parking reservation system as possible solutions.
The shuttle will be offered every day between 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and will run every 30 minutes. The final pick up at the Quandary Peak trailhead is at 7 p.m., according to the release.
Anyone wanting to make a parking reservation can do so by clicking here, or by going to parkquandary.com, but the website will not be online until Monday, officials said. *Note the website will go live on Monday, July 26 for reservations beginning July 30. Visitors will be able to reserve parking spots in the Quandary Peak parking lot two weeks in advance.
Several options for parking reservations will be offered and will vary in price:
For additional information regarding the new system, click here.
This content was originally published here.
