{"id":2451195,"date":"2019-11-15T21:52:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T04:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads\/"},"modified":"2019-11-18T08:13:24","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T15:13:24","slug":"maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads\/","title":{"rendered":"Maroon Bells \u2018getting a break from impacts of people\u2019; winter gates closing for county roads"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6971713810316\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-316138-330\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"David Krause \/ The Aspen Times | Visitors and ice skaters take in the early morning at Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells scenic area on Sunday. The road to the lake is closed for the season but those will do hike, bike or ski up still can.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Visitors and ice skaters take in the early morning at Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells scenic area on Sunday. The road to the lake is closed for the season but those will do hike, bike or ski up still can.<\/strong><br \/>David Krause \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Visitors and ice skaters take in the early morning at Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells scenic area on Sunday. The road to the lake is closed for the season but those will do hike, bike or ski up still can.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | A couple skates on Maroon Lake on Thursday, the last day the popular Maroon Bells Recreation Area was open until next summer. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>A couple skates on Maroon Lake on Thursday, the last day the popular Maroon Bells Recreation Area was open until next summer. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A couple skates on Maroon Lake on Thursday, the last day the popular Maroon Bells Recreation Area was open until next summer. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"David Krause \/ The Aspen Times | Maroon Creek Road leading to the Maroon Bells was closed Friday for the winter season. It typically reopens in mid-May.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Maroon Creek Road leading to the Maroon Bells was closed Friday for the winter season. It typically reopens in mid-May.<\/strong><br \/>David Krause \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/gates-atd-111619-5-2-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Maroon Creek Road leading to the Maroon Bells was closed Friday for the winter season. It typically reopens in mid-May.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The balmy, late-fall weather has prompted more people to take advantage of the Maroon Bells area, which has led to increased garbage, trashed bathrooms and illegal fire rings on the shore of Maroon Lake, an official said Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">None of that, however, was the reason Pitkin County officials closed the winter gate on Maroon Creek Road on Friday morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe board (of county commissioners) designates Nov. 15 as the day to close the gate,\u201d said Brian Pettet, Pitkin County\u2019s public works director. \u201cThe Forest Service has no one to manage the area past today, so the decision was made to close the gate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIf someone\u2019s not up there managing it and cleaning the restrooms, \u2026 some people don\u2019t pick up after themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As if to underscore that point, the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s recreation manager for the Maroon Bells area said the crowds have taxed the agency\u2019s remaining meager staff, most of whom left in mid-to-late October.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt has been busy up there just since it\u2019s been a mild November,\u201d Shelly Grail said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The trash the crowds leave behind coupled with filthy restrooms and the fire rings are \u201cunfortunate\u201d and indicate that people are not obeying the rules in the heavily used wilderness area, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe appreciate if people observe the signs and stay on the trial,\u201d Grail said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Asked if people skating on Maroon Lake \u2014 a popular photo lately on Aspen social media as well as news outlets including The Aspen Times \u2014 was the problem, Grail declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI don\u2019t really want to get into that,\u201d she said, emphasizing that trash and disrespect to the area has been the main problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Last fall, Kate Jerman, the White River public affairs officer, told Aspen Sojourner <a id=\"N0x14d82f0N0x14eb060:N0x14d82f0N0x14e17d0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspensojo.com\/articles\/2018\/11\/14\/ice-skating-in-paradise\">ice skating \u201cis not prohibited\u201d<\/a> on the lake but people should access the lake on the south side. That is an area where there are not ropes, which were <a id=\"N0x14d82f0N0x14eb0c0:N0x14d82f0N0x14e1860\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/maroon-lake-project-to-rope-off-area-is-effort-to-end-social-trails-near-maroon-bells\/\">installed in late 2018 to avoid \u201cshortcuts and social trails\u201d<\/a> in the summer, a Forest Service official told The Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Grail said she and two others have been managing the area for the past few weeks. They head up there about twice a week to pick up the trash, clean the bathrooms and collect the often-full pay tube at the unmanned entrance. The same crew will stick around to shut down the recreation area for the winter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Though the mild weather is forecast to continue for at least the next week, Pettet said county officials did not consider extending the season and leaving the gate open longer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s always a balance between human access and giving the area a break from the impacts of people,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a tough balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s the season for winter gate closings, so the gate on Maroon Creek Road \u00ad\u2014 located above the T-Lazy 7 Ranch \u2014 is far from the only one in the area locking down for the winter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The winter gate on Castle Creek Road \u2014 located above Ashcroft \u2014 also closed Friday morning, Pettet said. Pitkin County installed <a id=\"N0x14d82f0N0x14eb1e0:N0x14d82f0N0x14e1bc0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/closure-gates-proposed-for-prince-creek-dinkle-lake-roads-in-pitkin-county\/\">new gates on Dinkle Lake Road and Prince Creek Road<\/a> this week, and those will close for the winter Dec. 1, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In addition, the Forest Service will close most of its winter gates \u2014 including those at Avalanche Creek, Lenado and Basalt Mountain \u2014 on Nov. 23, Grail said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><a href=\"mailto:jauslander@aspentimes.com\">jauslander@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/maroon-bells-getting-a-break-from-impacts-of-people-winter-gates-closing-for-county-roads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Visitors and ice skaters take in the early morning at Maroon Lake and the Maroon Bells scenic area on Sunday. The road to the lake is closed for the season but those will do hike, bike or ski up still can.David Krause \/ The Aspen Times A couple skates on Maroon Lake on Thursday, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 06:12:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451195"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2451244,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451195\/revisions\/2451244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}