Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Overnight Permits & Parking Passes

[CheapCigarMan]

I thought there should be a thread dedicated to the now many reservations that is needed to hike in Colorado.
Posts here would include:
Reservations needed
Reservations no longer needed
Invites for others to join your reservation
Camping
Parking
Etc.

I'll start this out with I'm putting a 24 hour Bells parking permit back in the pool for June 24th.

[SnowAlien]

Just curious, how do you move a reservation if you don't need it?

[CheapCigarMan]

Parking and Campsites can be cancelled and put back in the pool.
I think it would be easy to unofficially transfer a parking pass or campsite.
Campsites can have up to a certain number of people and if there are fewer than that in your party you could share a space with them.
You can pile in as many people as you like in your car under your parking permit.

[madmattd]

I put a permit for 2 nights (6/23 and 6/24) at Snowmass Lake (1-4 group size) back in the pool Tuesday evening - still available at the time of this post. Tentatively looking to replace for around the weekend of July 8/9 if someone has one they might return or is willing to add a couple people to.

Officially camping permits are non-transferrable, as either the group leader or alternate group leader needs to be present with the permit. I'm not sure how/how heavily this will be enforced (some permit places I've camped at before are heavily-checked and enforced, others not at all). I did not see an option to add/change an alternate leader when I returned my permit (I checked out of curiosity). Group size can be changed within the limits of the camping permit at any time until the permit is printed (i.e. for a "small group" camping permit you can change the size between 1 and 4 people at any time until you hit print).

[Jorts]

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

Can I just bike to these THs and park further down valley?? I'm planning to be there in early July and I've secured zero permits. But, for example, in Summit I could park at Hoosier and bike my butt down to the Quandary TH. Just wondering if a similar arrangement is possible in others' experiences.

[CheapCigarMan]

Officially camping permits are non-transferrable, as either the group leader or alternate group leader needs to be present with the permit. I'm not sure how/how heavily this will be enforced (some permit places I've camped at before are heavily-checked and enforced, others not at all). I did not see an option to add/change an alternate leader when I returned my permit (I checked out of curiosity). Group size can be changed within the limits of the camping permit at any time until the permit is printed (i.e. for a "small group" camping permit you can change the size between 1 and 4 people at any time until you hit print).

They didn't check my ID to see if I was the one camping / parking.

I know of others that camped with only one person registered and both got into camp.

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

Can I just bike to these THs and park further down valley?? I'm planning to be there in early July and I've secured zero permits. But, for example, in Summit I could park at Hoosier and bike my butt down to the Quandary TH. Just wondering if a similar arrangement is possible in others' experiences.

Their answer is, We are loving the Bells too much.

You need a parking permit to park your car at the parking lot.
You don't need a pass to get in like you do at RMNP, for example.
You do need a permit to camp even if you are walking or biking in.

[eskermo]

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

It is shockingly not crowded because it appears most people do not use their permits. The few times I have visited recently, the parking lot was not even half full in the afternoon. All visits have been Saturday or Sunday in peak season.

[sfreytag]

Its obnoxiously crowed with day hikers from the parking lot/bus stop to Crater Lake. But after 5pm and past Crater Lake I've never seen it crowded at all. Did the 4 Pass Loop a few years ago and after Crater Lake I probably only saw 10 people. And that was the week of July 4th. Maybe I've always been lucky with timing.

[climbingcue]

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

Can I just bike to these THs and park further down valley?? I'm planning to be there in early July and I've secured zero permits. But, for example, in Summit I could park at Hoosier and bike my butt down to the Quandary TH. Just wondering if a similar arrangement is possible in others' experiences.

With how fast you are, you could just park at the Brush creek lot, or other free lot. Then ride your bike up to the bells parking lot. Do Pyramid, and both of the Bells in a day. Nice part is the bike ride out is all downhill.

[Jorts]

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

Can I just bike to these THs and park further down valley?? I'm planning to be there in early July and I've secured zero permits. But, for example, in Summit I could park at Hoosier and bike my butt down to the Quandary TH. Just wondering if a similar arrangement is possible in others' experiences.

With how fast you are, you could just park at the Brush creek lot, or other free lot. Then ride your bike up to the bells parking lot. Do Pyramid, and both of the Bells in a day. Nice part is the bike ride out is all downhill.

Thanks for the suggestion... that's kind of what I've been thinking.

[thetoddman]

What's with all the exponentially expanding red tape around this area? Is it that obnoxiously crowded?

It is shockingly not crowded because it appears most people do not use their permits. The few times I have visited recently, the parking lot was not even half full in the afternoon. All visits have been Saturday or Sunday in peak season.

I had a parking pass and was there on Monday to do West Maroon Pass (no one made it- too much snow). Got back to the parking lot at 2:30 and there were only a dozen cars there. I attributed it to two things:
1) You have to depart the parking lot by 4 pm with a day parking pass during the shuttle bus season, and/or
2) many people obtain a parking pass, drive up, and spend very little time there, not even getting past Maroon Lake.

Not sure what the solution should be, but it obviously makes for a ton of empty parking spaces, especially after lunch.

[ballardwf04]

Agreed. Although the Bells are gorgeous, and worthy of more protection IMO, not sure what problem is being solved by the new permit system. I've never had issues with crowds in the Bells Wilderness. There's got to be another way that better balances the needs of competing interest groups... to be figured out by someone smarter than me.

On an unrelated note, I'm looking to hike Pyramid 7/20, but don't know of a way to get to the trailhead beyond taking the shuttle (and therefore a 8am start time) or a parking permit, which are all sold out. Anyone have a permit for that day they'd be willing to sell, or carpool with my group of 3 hikers? Happy to compensate via cash and/or beers. Open to alternative methods as well (i.e. does Uber or Lyft run at that time of the morning??)