Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
Ptglhs
Posts: 1478
Joined: 1/6/2016
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 86 3
Trip Reports (4)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by Ptglhs »

What's the most galling, to me, about this is the poor conditions of the road they're trying to protect. When I 1st did these 2 peaks in 2016 my 2wd vehicle wouldn't make the last mile+ so I parked along side the road. If they want to mandate people not park along the road then maybe have the road be in good enough condition to allow cars to drive to the trailhead?

The lack of permitting while still implementing fines seems the clearest indication this is being done to generate revenue. The county knows how many spots are up there, they can issue permits. That way someone knows before they show up if they Will be able to park there. To drive an hour or 2 before dawn, endure the rough road, only to be unable to find a parking spot is frustrating. People risk losing a chance to safely summit because they would have to drive an hour to a different trailhead. Knowing this makes people more likely to park along the road. The county knows this and is using people's desire to hike, and the planned inability of knowing whether or not parking will be available, as a means of generating fine revenue. Fines should discourage against breaking a law, not a means of funding services. Clear creek county is hoping people break the law.
User avatar
daway8
Posts: 1314
Joined: 8/24/2017
14ers: 58  24 
13ers: 155 29
Trip Reports (70)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by daway8 »

Ptglhs wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:39 pm What's the most galling, to me, about this is the poor conditions of the road they're trying to protect. When I 1st did these 2 peaks in 2016 my 2wd vehicle wouldn't make the last mile+ so I parked along side the road. If they want to mandate people not park along the road then maybe have the road be in good enough condition to allow cars to drive to the trailhead?
As for the road, it was in much better shape this morning than I've seen it before - still a steep and bumpy road but no 4WD needed as long as you have some clearance (or drive carefully).
jguthrie
Posts: 1
Joined: 6/22/2020
14ers: 5 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by jguthrie »

Can someone clarify this?

I will be going to Grays/Torreys on Wednesday. Does this mean that parking is only available at the summer trailhead and not along the road? Or is the road entirely closed and I need to park at the winter trailhead?
User avatar
BillMiddlebrook
Site Administrator
Posts: 6910
Joined: 7/25/2004
14ers: 58  46  19 
13ers: 172 44 37
Trip Reports (2)
 
Contact:

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

jguthrie wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:06 pm Can someone clarify this?

I will be going to Grays/Torreys on Wednesday. Does this mean that parking is only available at the summer trailhead and not along the road? Or is the road entirely closed and I need to park at the winter trailhead?
The former. Get to the trailhead early and if it's full, continue past the restroom on the (easy) 4WD road to some upper parking spaces.
"When I go out, I become more alive. I just love skiing. The gravitational pull. When you ski steep terrain... you can almost get a feeling of flying." -Doug Coombs
User avatar
daway8
Posts: 1314
Joined: 8/24/2017
14ers: 58  24 
13ers: 155 29
Trip Reports (70)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by daway8 »

jguthrie wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:06 pm Can someone clarify this?

I will be going to Grays/Torreys on Wednesday. Does this mean that parking is only available at the summer trailhead and not along the road? Or is the road entirely closed and I need to park at the winter trailhead?
There is parking available at the 4WD trailhead - no need to park all the way down at the 2WD road, but the legal parking spots at the trailhead are very limited and filled up by 4:30am this morning. Probably better on a Wednesday but I would still plan to arrive early to be safe. It is pretty rough and a bit steep in a spot or two - as long as you have some clearance you should be ok - the road is currently in better shape than previous years.
User avatar
lordhelmut
Posts: 2310
Joined: 2/24/2006
14ers: 50  21  5 
13ers: 300 60 1
Trip Reports (73)
 
Contact:

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by lordhelmut »

Anyone know what this means for Grizzly Gulch?
DaveLanders
Posts: 532
Joined: 3/7/2009
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by DaveLanders »

Another complication is that the road to the trailhead goes through a lot of private property, including most of the last ~.4 miles right before the parking lot. If that landowner(s) tells his county officials that he is tired of people parking on his property then I assume they would write tickets and/or tow vehicles. To address ScottP's comments about getting off the right of way: if you do that and now you're on someone's private property who doesn't want you there, then you're probably still illegal.
Every village has at least one idiot. Successful villages choose someone else to be their leader.
User avatar
supranihilest
Posts: 719
Joined: 6/29/2015
14ers: 58  42 
13ers: 709 1 8
Trip Reports (112)
 
Contact:

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by supranihilest »

lordhelmut wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:50 pm Anyone know what this means for Grizzly Gulch?
My friend Vera got a ticket for parking in the large, flat area at the Grizzly Gulch junction in early June. I'll ask if they can add their experience with this.
User avatar
VeraUndertow
Posts: 39
Joined: 3/9/2020
14ers: 58  5  7 
13ers: 346 51 4
Trip Reports (8)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by VeraUndertow »

supranihilest wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:08 pm
lordhelmut wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:50 pm Anyone know what this means for Grizzly Gulch?
My friend Vera got a ticket for parking in the large, flat area at the Grizzly Gulch junction in early June. I'll ask if they can add their experience with this.
From a report snow alien posted it looks like they posted no parking signs there already, but when I was there early June to Ski emperor, we parked our cars right at the turn off for grizzly gulch where the large and obvious "parking area" is. I parked in front of a sign that said not to block the road but didn't mention that you were not allowed to park at all. When we got back to our cars there were tickets on all of the cars windshields. They had come through at 6:00-6:30 am to ticket everyone parked there. I have a date with court and lots of pictures to fight my $85 ticket. Since they put up no parking signs I think they will be enforcing and not dismissing any more infractions. Hoping they dismiss mine since there were not any posted no parking signs at that time.
User avatar
Mtnman200
Posts: 1112
Joined: 9/26/2012
14ers: 58  1 
13ers: 440
Trip Reports (85)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by Mtnman200 »

VeraUndertow wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:37 pm
supranihilest wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:08 pm
lordhelmut wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:50 pm Anyone know what this means for Grizzly Gulch?
My friend Vera got a ticket for parking in the large, flat area at the Grizzly Gulch junction in early June. I'll ask if they can add their experience with this.
From a report snow alien posted it looks like they posted no parking signs there already, but when I was there early June to Ski emperor, we parked our cars right at the turn off for grizzly gulch where the large and obvious "parking area" is. I parked in front of a sign that said not to block the road but didn't mention that you were not allowed to park at all. When we got back to our cars there were tickets on all of the cars windshields. They had come through at 6:00-6:30 am to ticket everyone parked there. I have a date with court and lots of pictures to fight my $85 ticket. Since they put up no parking signs I think they will be enforcing and not dismissing any more infractions. Hoping they dismiss mine since there were not any posted no parking signs at that time.
I hope your photos will win your case for you. I won a parking ticket case like that years ago, so it can be done. Good luck.
"Adventure without risk is not possible." - Reinhold Messner
John Landers
Posts: 222
Joined: 9/16/2009
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by John Landers »

As this appears to be a money grab by Clear Creek county, one option is to not spend any money in the county at restaurants, gas stations, etc.
User avatar
lordhelmut
Posts: 2310
Joined: 2/24/2006
14ers: 50  21  5 
13ers: 300 60 1
Trip Reports (73)
 
Contact:

Re: Grays and Torrey parking tickets

Post by lordhelmut »

VeraUndertow wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:37 pm
supranihilest wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:08 pm
lordhelmut wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 4:50 pm Anyone know what this means for Grizzly Gulch?
My friend Vera got a ticket for parking in the large, flat area at the Grizzly Gulch junction in early June. I'll ask if they can add their experience with this.
From a report snow alien posted it looks like they posted no parking signs there already, but when I was there early June to Ski emperor, we parked our cars right at the turn off for grizzly gulch where the large and obvious "parking area" is. I parked in front of a sign that said not to block the road but didn't mention that you were not allowed to park at all. When we got back to our cars there were tickets on all of the cars windshields. They had come through at 6:00-6:30 am to ticket everyone parked there. I have a date with court and lots of pictures to fight my $85 ticket. Since they put up no parking signs I think they will be enforcing and not dismissing any more infractions. Hoping they dismiss mine since there were not any posted no parking signs at that time.
Not so much that junction parking area but up the road in general. I was up there on Memorial Day and didn’t notice any no parking signs at that river crossing and beyond. That wouldn’t make a ton of sense given GG sees 1/1000th the traffic that SG does.
Post Reply