S. Colony 2WD TH - overnight no more?

[JChitwood]

What about parking along the road on the way to the 4wd lot? It’s been 13 years since I was up there but I hiked from the now outlaw 2wd lot at the bottom in the fall and passed several hunting camps with vehicles parked around. I don’t remember if 4wd would have been needed to get to them or not.

[HikerGuy]

What about parking along the road on the way to the 4wd lot? It’s been 13 years since I was up there but I hiked from the now outlaw 2wd lot at the bottom in the fall and passed several hunting camps with vehicles parked around. I don’t remember if 4wd would have been needed to get to them or not.

I remember seeing people parked along the road when the lot was full. Seems like as long as you are not blocking the road, but still in the right of way (outside fence lines), you should be okay. As long as there aren't any no parking signs along the road.

south_colony_parking.png

[Brun]

No parking along the road until you reach the forest service sign. Until then, the road runs through private property.

[seannunn]

What about parking along the road on the way to the 4wd lot? It’s been 13 years since I was up there but I hiked from the now outlaw 2wd lot at the bottom in the fall and passed several hunting camps with vehicles parked around. I don’t remember if 4wd would have been needed to get to them or not.

I remember seeing people parked along the road when the lot was full. Seems like as long as you are not blocking the road, but still in the right of way (outside fence lines), you should be okay. As long as there aren't any no parking signs along the road.


south_colony_parking.png

Sooooo, is it OK to park overnight where the cars are parked along the road in this picture?

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[evanm137]

Welp, this news is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking at the same time. My favorite 14er area ever made an already difficult backpacking trip even more difficult. I guess the only way to backpack this now for me and my subie is to park as close to the rainbow trail as possible at Music Pass, and then accept the few extra miles of work I'm going to have to put in.

I had plans to do this with friends this weekend, and now this complicates everything.

This is the kind of news I would have nightmares about.

Has anyone even bothered to leave their car around overnight at 2WD and seen what happened?

Not that it matters since I absolutely cannot risk getting a tow. But still curious.

[evanm137]

Also, yeah, if anyone can confirm if parking along South Colony Road (120) well off to the side, is allowed, then please share.

I'm genuinely considering contacting the sheriff's office about this, because I just don't think I can handle all the extra miles from Music Pass, especially on the way back.

But f**k all of this s**t to begin with. Absolute bottom tier news.

[Brun]

Hi Evan, I can confirm that you cannot park along South Colony until you reach the sign showing where the U.S. Forest starts. Until then it is private property. Also, the road is horrible and getting worse with the rain.

[SchralpTheGnar]

Our problems are no more dude

[jsf80238]

It looks like a person could drive to 38.00778, -105.50823 and, without too much difficulty, park on the side of the road?

That's inside the Forest Service boundary, I believe, and maybe 500 feet from the Rainbow trail?

[MaryinColorado]

Even if so (haven't looked at map myself to confirm), there are a couple of pretty rough stretches of road early on. The first really rough part tends to turn a lot of people around right then and there. In other words, in theory, if you're able to make it almost to the Rainbow TH, no reason you can't make it all the way to the upper TH since you'd already be past most of the bad spots.

[TT4life]

Our problems are no more dude

What do you mean? Did something get resolved? Really wanted to go hike here in the coming weekends.

[OntheRocks78]

I parked overnight on this lot two nights in the first week of July and a number of other hikers did the same without any tickets or towing. There were at that time at least 4 "No overnight parking" signs in the lot but none that I saw on the roadside on the way up to the parking lot so presumably one could park there in the road right of way. The Road (CR-120) is presumably a public road so I don't see how the property owners could post no parking signs on the road right of way. Parking on the road past the 2WD trailhead before reaching the public lands portion is off limits. The 2WD lot is on private property according to the Custer County Property Tax Maps so it is a park at your own risk situation.