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Day use passes are $6, season passes available for $40
Snowmobilers prepare for a day of recreation at the Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area.
Fee collection at the Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area starts Nov. 25.
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY —Fee collection and patrols in the Vail Pass Winter Recreation area will start Nov. 25, with a $6 charge for day use passes and a limited number of $40 season passes available for snowmobiling and crosscountry skiing.
The Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area includes more than 50,000 acres of White River National Forest lands from Copper Mountain on the east to Vail Mountain on the west, Camp Hale on the south, and the I-70 corridor on the north.
The management strategy for this very popular winter recreation area is the result of many years of collaboration between the Vail Pass Task Force (a citizen’s advisory group) and the Forest Service. The user fees pay for visitor maps, signage of motorized and non-motorized trails, trail grooming, parking lot management and snow removal, visitor information services, backcountry monitoring, and enforcement by uniformed Forest Service personnel.
Is the management working? Watch this YouTube video to find out:
Children 15 and under are free. Season passes can be purchased at the Vail Pass trailhead on Saturdays and Sundays, at the Dillon Ranger District office in Silverthorne and at the Holy Cross Ranger District office in Minturn during office hours. Fee stations with self pay envelopes are located at all VPWRA trailheads. Grooming is scheduled to occur six nights a week on a rotating cycle of trails.
Vail Pass staff would like to remind the public that vehicles with trailers are to park on the Black Lakes Road and skiers/snowshoers are to use the day use lot above the CDOT rest area. To allow for snow removal, camping is prohibited on the Black Lakes Road and in the day lot. Hut users are asked to park at the top of the Black Lakes Road starting below the Forest Service Fee Station.
Remove all valuables from your vehicle when you leave vehicles unattended at the Vail Pass. Please conserve space when parking at the Vail Pass trailhead. Parking is available on a first come first serve basis – those arriving after the parking lot is full must wait for the first available parking space or leave for another trailhead. Parking on the east side of Interstate 70 at Exit 190 and at the CDOT sand shed is prohibited.
The Forest Service encourages all users to practice safe trail etiquette. Please have avalanche gear and know how to use it, carry a map and know where you are at all times, respect trail signage and non-motorized areas, and practice conservation of terrain when skiing and riding in the backcountry. Rubber tired or wheeled vehicles are prohibited on all Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area trails from November 15 to April 15. The Forest Service appreciates your cooperation to keep Vail Pass an enjoyable experience for all user groups.
For more information please contact the Dillon Ranger District Office at 970-468-5400.
Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, recreation, skiing and riding, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest Tagged: | backcountry skiing, snowmobiling, Summit County Colorado, Vail Pass, Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area, White River National Forest
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Perhaps some obey the rules, but what of the noise? You can pretty much bet the ranch as a sure return, that those people wouldn’t put up with the noise, if it was in their neighborhood where they live! Though it may be fun, (I’ve never ridden one), I believe that they should be prohibited, no exceptions. There is no such thing as being a good noisy intruder.