Pitkin County to take over operations of Maroon Bells in 2027, increasing fees for visitors

[AndrewJCraigie]

https://www.denver7.com/news/recreation ... r-visitors

In their proposed fee schedule for next year, the county wants to increase the day-use fee at the Maroon Bells from $10 to $30 – more than double what visitors currently pay for.

Day-use fees for motorcycles and e-bikes would double in price from $5 to $10, while campground fees and wilderness permit trailhead parking would more than double.

Coloradans with a vehicle season pass for the Maroon Bells Scenic Area? Prepare to pay up to three times more than you do currently as the price tag would go from the current $25 to $75 by next year.

[astranko]

Individual locations near rich towns are being repeatedly colonized by those towns. Those towns treat the areas as revenue centers, driving up the costs of entry and reducing access. With special exemption for those that live there, of course.

It only serves to balkanize the management of wilderness even more.

First Breck taking over Quandary and the Blue Lakes area and now the Bells being taken by Aspen, any bets on what's next?

[madmattd]

I bet they'll stop accepting the National Parks Pass to cover entrance too now that it's not USFS managed.

[bdloftin77]

"Extra-person fee for more than 4 in a vehicle"

Fees.png

[supranihilest]

Thank f**k I've climbed everything I want back there. Aspen is so up its own ass.

[climbnowworklater]

I hate to repeat what I said for years, but if you don't live on the mountain you may not be able to access it in the future. I purposely built a house on a 13er, so, if they ever implement fees or limitations to access I'll always be able to just hike right up from the house. Watching the reservations, fees, restrictions only vindicates my decision.

[climbingcue]

The other dirty thing about the Maroon Bells even this year. If you take the bus, that parking lot is $50 to park plus the per person cost of the bus. If you change your mind once you see the $50 price you are stuck paying the price.

[Veory]

This is just going to make more people take alternate approaches and over-camp more wilderness. Those back roads are about to end looking like Guanalla pass

[dwoodward13]

I don't really get why people are blaming the town/county here, I guess its cool to bash on Aspen. Its the USFS who is to blame for taking this approach.

The larger problem to me is that the USFS is acting like the Maroon Bells is a business and must turn a profit. That's the real reason this is happening. The current fee structure loses about $300k per year for the Maroon Bells Scenic Area. It takes a long time for the USFS to go thru the various processes to increases fees, so in turn its far easier to just let whomever operate things going forward under a use agreement. Its not the first nor last time this has happened in Colorado. Why must the Maroon Bells Scenic Area operate in the green at all? I think its a dangerous game when we (the royal we for us small folk) start to expect our various scenic areas to start turning profits rather than provide a service to the tax payers. I will say its far better the County is doing this instead of Xanterra IMO.

Just my two cents.

[Marmot72]

This is just going to make more people take alternate approaches and over-camp more wilderness. Those back roads are about to end looking like Guanalla pass

100%!! Crested Butte is going to get a WHOLE LOT busier.

[hellmanm]

Yeah, I don't get piling on the town/county. A lot of these policy choices are made by folks who are as passionate about hiking/outdoor activities and balancing sustainability/access as we are. Sometimes there just aren't simple solutions. Towns have fiscal issues, overuse issues...etc, and plenty of tourists (and locals) abuse these areas. Sad to see fees go up, but to me it's not all that different than having to shell out for a train ticket, a new pack...etc.

[two lunches]

when madmatt and i climbed south maroon this summer we ran into a guy from minnesota (? michigan? wisconsin? whatever) on the summit. he told us how he had been so excited about visiting aspen from what he had seen from movies/tv/etc. and had been absolutely amped for his trip.



and then we all shared a fun round of why aspen is absolutely terrible. this news is so disappointing, but truly- not even slightly surprising.

the elitist NIMBY bs in that town gives me major secondhand embarrassment. i totally respect that we need to protect our most special places, but pricing people out of recreation in one of the wealthiest areas in colorado is shameful, egregious, and distasteful. any time people ask me for aspen recs i tell them to go somewhere else: the hotels are overpriced, the restaurants are overpriced, the ski areas are overpriced, and the lack of dispersed camping and overnight parking options is stupid.

anyway, f**k aspen. (disrespectfully)