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Conundrum Hot Springs are a popular hiking destination near Aspen. It is a 8.5-mile hike from the trail ahead to the springs, which sit at 11,222 feet. (David Krause/The Aspen Times)
A permit and reservation system proposed on the popular Four Pass Loop near Aspen isn’t expected to reduce the overall number of backpackers, but it will spread them out to more manageable levels, according to White River National Forest officials.
The U.S. Forest Service announced earlier this month it will pursue a reservation and permit system with a fee for the Four Pass Loop, probably starting next summer. The 26-mile loop covers some of the most stunning terrain in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The proposed fee is $12 per person per night.
USFS/courtesy photo
Backpackers will have to pay for overnight visits to the most popular places in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness starting next summer under a plan eyed by the White River National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service unveiled a proposal Thursday to implement a reservation and permit system with a fee of $12 per person per night for the Four Pass Loop, the Capitol Lake area and Geneva Lake starting next year. It would also start charging the $12 fee at Conundrum Hot Springs, which already requires a reservation and permit.
The fee would be for overnight visits only and would be in place from May 1 through Oct. 31. Permits would be required through recreation.gov, which currently charges an additional $6 processing fee. No fee is being contemplated for day trippers in the wilderness area.
People planning overnight trips at Chapman Campground are now restricted to using hard-sided campers or trailers because the area has become a popular food source for one black bear in particular.
The U.S. Forest Service also announced Wednesday that day-use at Chapman, which is located in the upper Fryingpan River Valley, is prohibited.
The restrictions are expected to remain in place for two weeks, according to Shelly Grail, recreation manager for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District. Refunds for reservations made during that period can be obtained through recreation.gov, which handles advance campsite bookings for Chapman, she said.
The decision to temporarily ban tents and soft-shells was made after a bear, searching for a meal, damaged and entered an unoccupied soft-sided camper at the campground. It was not an isolated incident at the campground: Last week Forest Service officials met with camp hosts at Chapman to discuss the possibility of closing certain areas of the campgroun
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