More parking planned for busy Gothic corridor

Judd Falls and Rustler’s trailheads expansion in 2027…

By Mark Reaman 

A plan is in the works to make summer parking in the Gothic corridor more formalized and organized. The idea is to address two highly visited areas and provide day parking for vehicles. The Gunnison Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests is hoping to add and coordinate parking at the Judd Falls trailhead and up by the turn to Rustler’s Gulch.

According to Gunnison Ranger District recreation staff officer Matt Quinn, the amount of parking at the Judd Falls trailhead off of Gothic Road could triple. “The meadow just north of the vault toilet (which has been surveyed and cleared for sensitive resources), would be cut and filled to create a gravel-surfaced parking area that could accommodate multiple rows of parking,” he explained. “If you’ve seen the new trailhead parking that we constructed at Tent City in 2024, the result would be similar, but larger.” The new lot should be able to handle approximately 125 vehicles at a time.

There are summer days when hundreds of cars are lined up along the road as people hike to the falls. They can also continue on further into the backcountry from there and some mountain bikers park there for the 401 singletrack.

The upper Judd Falls parking lot can handle approximately 15 vehicles but the road is deteriorating, making it difficult for some to access that lot.

As for the Rustler’s Gulch area further up-valley that is a very popular spot for mountain bikers doing the upper 401 trail to park and start, it is more limited given wetlands. “The road junction where Gothic Road meets Rustler’s Gulch was never designed for parking but has become a popular parking area for mountain bikers nonetheless,” said Quinn. “What we hope to do is create gravel-surfaced, head-in parking directly off of Gothic Road. The surrounding wetlands prevent parking from creeping too far, but the roadside improvements could allow parking for approximately 35-40 cars.”

To do both those projects would cost approximately $130,000. To no one’s surprise, it is very unlikely that federally-appropriated funding will be available for this project. “We are in the very early stages of fundraising,” said Quinn. “Recreation fees collected locally on the Gunnison Ranger District such as Christmas tree permit fees or outfitter/guide fees can help to supplement the project costs, but will not be enough for the total estimated bill. The primary funding source for a project like this will almost certainly be some form of grant.”

To that end, the local Forest Service has started exploring grant opportunities from organizations like the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation (MetRec) district.

If funding is obtained, Quinn said the hope is to begin the parking improvements in the summer of 2027 with it being completed that same year.