Private Property

[Roca]

Classic. I've encountered the same problem in other areas, and my guess is that whomever bought this otherwise worthless parcel did so with the sole intent of closing the road, probably to deter folks from continuing up-valley to where the elk are hanging out.
My take is to be diligent in finding the parcel boundaries and give the property line wide berth. Use a GPS with a map showing the property boundary, and if you walk around his property and back onto the road routinely you WILL at some point face confrontation with the gate owner. WHEN you get confronted above the gate, even if you walked around the parcel, he will assume you trespassed and will call the cops.
So WHEN this happens, IMO, don't tell him you have a gps with tracking. When the cops show up, tell the cop you were not trespassing and that now that he's here he's going to either cite you for trespassing OR cite the other guy for some king of harassment. Then show the cop your GPS.
What really sucks about this common issue is that when you go to a great lengths to do the right thing, you somehow still feel like you're trespassing.

[MonGoose]

I'm not 100% positive but pretty close this is the same gate:
It does not extend to Mammoth Creek, but the creek itself if owned by the City and County of Denver. If you go north from the gate about 100 yards, you'll be back on USFS land and you'll be able to get around the private property.
gate.png

This is very helpful. Which website did you use to take this screenshot?

[gb]

GAIA premium has a private land layer that works great. I actually use it a lot when I'm showing property in CB- lots of unmarked and random plots of vacant land around here...

[LURE]

This is very helpful. Which website did you use to take this screenshot?

Looks like a screenshot from onX - not free, but worth it IMO.

[Furthermore]

I use county GIS pages all the time for land reference and land owner contacts. Most counties have interactive maps. It looks like a local chap from Golden owns the ~20.5 acre lot and was bought in 2007.

On a minor note, it appears the road becomes private after the lot. I also remember doing some research on that trailhead/basin and remember reading (don't have the sources) about landowner/private property issues. Maybe even a prosecution? The best access to Mammoth Gulch is via the Kingston Peak 4X4 Road (FS 353).

Main Page: http://www.gilpincounty.org/departments ... t/gis_maps

https://maperture.digitaldataservices.c ... gilpin&run

[Roca]

Yup, once douchebagwilli closes the road the FS cannot continue past his property to maintain the road, so they close it beyond the property. You can still walk around the property and up the road (if it's on public land) but once it's closed by th FS - as it appears to be - motorized vehicles are not allowed. The funny thing that happens is that the land owner will sometimes continue to illegally use ATVs on the road.

[mbourget]

This is very helpful. Which website did you use to take this screenshot?

Lure is correct, its a screen grab from OnX Maps. Primarily marketed for hunting and fishing access purposes

[HikerGuy]

This is very helpful. Which website did you use to take this screenshot?

You can also see it on the Caltopo forest service base layers. 2013 version shows the parcel, but not the gate. 2016 version shows the gate, but not the parcel.

[CORed]

I use county GIS pages all the time for land reference and land owner contacts. Most counties have interactive maps. It looks like a local chap from Golden owns the ~20.5 acre lot and was bought in 2007.

On a minor note, it appears the road becomes private after the lot. I also remember doing some research on that trailhead/basin and remember reading (don't have the sources) about landowner/private property issues. Maybe even a prosecution? The best access to Mammoth Gulch is via the Kingston Peak 4X4 Road (FS 353).

Main Page: http://www.gilpincounty.org/departments ... t/gis_maps

https://maperture.digitaldataservices.c ... gilpin&run

As of last Saturday 6/14/2019, Kingston Peak road is still snowbound right after the start at county Rd. 4N. I ran into that same gate last summer while driving on the road along mammoth gulch. Kingston Peak road doesn't usually open all the way to the James Peak Lake trailhead until mid-july. This year I suspect it won't open until August, if it opens at all.

[Bill G]

I am not familiar with this road but I'm fairly certain the gate is illegal. If a FS road crosses your property it creates an easement.Can't buy your way out of this. Just find an attorney to file the paperwork. The landowner will lose and their attorney will confirm.

[Alpine Guy]

If someone can get the gate removed via legal action, please let me know - I'll probably be retired by then. I was just looking for a long hike below the punchy snow and maybe get some good shots of the crazy skiers on James Peak. Walking around that plot, now that I know the boundary, is no problem at all.

Hey Roca - you're right. The FS has several "no motorized vehicles" signs but there were plenty of 4wheeler tracks leading right up to the gate. Anyone who puts up a gate like that probably doesn't use llamas to bring in their supplies.

[Alpine Guy]

Thanks for the link Furthermore. Interesting stuff - amazing how much county info is on line if you know where to look (my Dad used to spend hours in courthouses searching records). I'll probably hike over from St Mary's Glacier to James Peak Lake some time because it's a much shorter route but the gulch trail looked like a good way to get in some mileage (I actually parked at the Tolland Rd intersection even though my 2wd truck could have gone much farther).