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County and U.S. Forest Service outline CHCDNM access plan and plan NEPA next steps
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Summary
Summit County and U.S. Forest Service staff presented an Access Planning draft for the CHCDNM study area covering parking, shuttle/reservation ideas, staffing scenarios for a Special Use Permit, and a recommendation to begin NEPA early summer 2025; USFS said the project is high on its priority list but capacity is limited.
Summit County Open Space & Trails staff presented a draft Access Plan and Management Framework for the CHCDNM study area at the Jan. 27 BOSAC meeting, detailing proposed changes to trailhead amenities, parking, staffing and funding approaches and proposing a path toward NEPA analysis.
Jordan Mead (Summit County Open Space & Trails) outlined objectives and updates for several trailheads: adding parking at Quandary, assessing spur-road closures on Blue Lakes Road, formalizing parking near the McCullough Gulch trailhead, and designating overnight hut parking at Spruce Creek. The draft management framework included a staffing table for a potential Special Use Permit (SUP) approach, examples of alternative management scenarios, and possible funding sources including USDOT and local organizations. Mead said the intent is to begin NEPA early summer 2025.
Commissioner Bobbie Zanca asked about NEPA feasibility given recent budget and staffing cutbacks. Adam Bianchi and Samuel Massman of the U.S. Forest Service acknowledged agency capacity limits but said the project ranks near the top of their Forest Priority List and that NEPA can approve some elements of a proposal while rejecting others during the public process. “We are past the point of ‘build it and they will come,’ particularly in these high-use areas,” Bianchi said, stressing the need for capacity and management measures rather than simply adding access.
Massman described past capacity studies at Hanging Lake and Maroon Bells as examples and said the USFS will need to develop multiple capacity scenarios and study peak days to determine how many visitors trails and facilities can sustainably support. County staff and USFS representatives emphasized pairing proposed amenities with trail maintenance and hardening in high-use locations and noted that a SUP could provide revenue and staffing options that help fund maintenance.
The BOSAC agreed with a staff proposal to route the Access Plan through the Town of Breckenridge Open Space & Trails Master Plan in February to prepare for NEPA. No formal vote or commitment of funding was recorded at the meeting.