Leaf-peepers beware: Heightened parking enforcement planned for Guanella Pass this month

Counties on both sides of Guanella Pass are taking initiatives to prevent traffic gridlock from engulfing the popular leaf-peeping hotspot as fall foliage season beckons this month Citing two rescue operations that were impeded by slow-moving traffic and illegal parking on the pass last fall administrators of Clear Creek and Park counties say there will be extra sheriff s patrols to enforce no-parking ordinances Vehicles illegally parked along the roadway will be towed During this time of year the number of visitors to the Guanella Pass area increases by tens of thousands announced Park County undersheriff Steve Spodyak Last year on one of the peak weekends we experienced to vehicles on Guanella Pass On one of the peak days between and p m we had over vehicles traverse the pass This is a narrow two-lane mountain pass and it s not capable of handling that type of traffic volume Large no-parking signs have been planted every yards or so along the road near the -foot summit where the counties meet Spodyak disclosed that when cars are parked on the shoulders it creates a dangerous situation It makes it complicated for exigency vehicles to respond to emergencies Spodyak reported And it makes a narrow two-lane road into a one-lane road with both directions of traffic trying to utilize it at the same time Last September there was a rollover accident on the Park County side six miles up the road from US that called for fire and medicinal response The first responder on the scene was a Park County deputy driving up from Bailey The normal response time from there is - minutes Spodyak disclosed but that day it took minutes The first ambulance took minutes to reach the scene more than double how long it normally takes Seconds can be the difference between life and death when someone is experiencing a traumatic injury Spodyak revealed Last year could have ended in tragedy Luckily it didn t This year we are taking proactive measures to ensure unimpeded emergency access to Guanella Pass at all times Clear Creek County first responders had a similar occurrence on Sept when a woman experienced cardiac arrest atop the pass Emergency response was significantly delayed due to illegally parked vehicles Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris mentioned We had to use life flight and we had to journey the person off the mountain Thankfully she survived This year we decided we needed to get ahead of this Related Articles Circle Sept on your calendar for peak fall colors in Colorado mountains Harris revealed nine people have required rescue already this year on Bierstadt one of Colorado s busiest fourteeners due to its relatively easy ascent and proximity to Front Range cities Illegal parking and overcrowding on the pass puts people s lives at danger Harris disclosed We want everybody to come here and leaf-peep responsibly We also want you to come on a Tuesday or Wednesday Take off of work Play hooky Clear Creek County commissioner Rebecca Lloyd stated she was stuck in Interstate gridlock for two hours on a peak leaf-peeping weekend last year Guanella Pass is a treasure Lloyd reported Guanella Pass can be loved to death As the number of visitors increases we face challenges with overcrowding people parking illegally stopping in traffic lanes to take photos of moose on the side of the road Georgetown the gateway town to the pass from the north will implement a traffic management plan for the weekends of Sept - and Sept - that is designed to mitigate disruption in a town with a year-round population of only More than people are likely to pass through town daily on those weekends Our goal with this plan is to help keep leaf-peeping traffic out of residential neighborhoods as much as manageable while still making it easy for everyone to enjoy our commercial areas town administrator Dennis Durham disclosed Visitors who would like to stop and assistance our local businesses are welcome to do so and at the same time traffic will be guided safely and efficiently so those just passing through can enjoy the drive and exit town smoothly Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The Adventurist to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox