Gothic camping

New regs in place until August 15

by Mark Reaman

It may be too early to have a definitive picture of whether or not new camping restrictions in the Gothic corridor are working, but early indications are that it is making a difference.

The U.S. Forest Service issued an order this spring banning dispersed camping north of Mt. Crested Butte, through the townsite of Gothic and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and up to Schofield Pass. The order went into effect June 15 and does not apply to formal campgrounds.

“So far the ban on dispersed camping has largely been working. People are getting the word faster than I would have expected,” said RMBL executive director Ian Billick. “This weekend was the first time we saw people camping outside the area and it was only in two locations—the 403 trailhead, which is right next to the Gothic Campground, had about three tents set up in it on Sunday. And the Rustler’s Gulch spot close to the 401 trail also had a bunch of people camping in it over the weekend. So it’s been in relatively confined areas and just at peak.”

Since the ban has been in force less than a month, no absolute conclusions can be reached. “It will probably be something that will need a full season to determine the results,” said Forest Service public and legislative affairs officer Lee Ann Loupe.

“Beyond camping, it’s still early in July but we haven’t seen a lot of the problems we had last year,” said Billick. “There have definitely been a few incidents, but not the craziness of previous years.”

“I think having USFS employees communicating with people—and we see them driving through regularly—creates a sense that the USFS is paying attention, so I think that has helped the situation. So while we still have a lot of July ahead of us, so far I’d call it a big success,” Billick continued

A camping guide and map informing locals and visitors of where they can camp, as well as site amenities, applicable fees, and availability of units, is available through the Tourism Association’s website and social media channels, and at locations throughout the county.

District Forest Ranger John Murphy said the Forest Service budgeted for two people to assist with enforcing the dispersed camping ban and disseminate relevant information. “We do have two Forest Service field rangers working in Gothic so there is more of a Forest Service presence,” he said. “I was up there today (Tuesday) and our Youth Conservation Corps was installing a new sign. There is still some work to be done on sign installation.

“I think it’s too early to tell how effective this is and too early to see what the impacts are in other drainages around Crested Butte,” Murphy continued. “It may even be next year before we can start drawing these types of conclusions.”

The order is in place until August 15 and also prohibits motorized vehicles traveling off of designated routes year-round.