The Lower Loop parking situation: Things have changed a lot. So…

Driving from the town’s Butte Avenue boundary to the end of Peanut Lake Road on Tuesday morning was peaceful. Heading out toward the Lower Loop, I was driving the only vehicle on that road. Peanut Lake was serene. There still was plenty of snow out there. It was pretty. I stopped at the Land Trust parking area and returned to town. Coming back, I passed one truck. There were a couple of bikers and hikers and everyone had a dog on the road. It was quiet.
It’s also early May. It’s a great place to take the dogs and the vibe is certainly pedestrian. Again, it’s May. I guarantee it won’t have that vibe in July. And that’s part of the trade-off.
So a community discussion on the future of that road and the ramifications of having one of the most popular beginner single tracks, not just in our area but in all of Colorado, a mile from the town boundary is certainly necessary. As Councilperson Jim Schmidt noted, “Things have changed a lot…” since the Lower Loop was formalized and a parking lot with the nebulous sign “Restricted Parking” was put in place two decades ago.
It seemed during the town council’s Monday evening discussion that Councilman Shaun Matusewicz and nearby resident Bob Gillie didn’t want any change. They expressed hesitation about even improving the parking area at the north end of the road in fear it would attract more drivers.
But Shaun is one of the biggest council advocates for increasing tourism to the area. It’s hard to have it both ways. Increased tourism brings increased changes. Like it or not, the best path is to address the situation and come up with solutions to the growth and not try to ignore it—or stop advocating for growth.
Gillie argued for doing whatever is needed to keep the area pedestrian-focused. Matusewicz agreed. They both see the Lower Loop starting at the little parking lot a hundred yards from the end of Butte Avenue. That’s not real. As Parks and Rec director Jake Jones commented on the popularity of the Lower Loop: The genie is out of the bottle.
The attraction is the Lower Loop single track, not the county road leading past some homes to that single track. And the Lower Loop is absolutely wonderful. I’ve ridden it every year for close to three decades and it never ceases to amaze me. The Paradise Divide views, the river, the meadows and wildlife, the woods are super-accessible gems. And they should be accessible to all, not just those who live here.
I know a lot of tourists drive out to the end of the road, can’t find a place to park and drive back. Some might park in town and try to walk the road. Others just give up. But wandering vehicles are part of the summer experience almost everywhere. The Lower Loop, Judd Falls, Snodgrass all overflow during parts of the summer. Look, I’m not a fan of that but it’s what we’ve asked for. So the thing to do is deal with it. And the first step is debate.
Monday’s discussion essentially ended with the acknowledgement that more discussion is needed to address how to handle the growth that is being seen out there. High season in both summer and winter can be a parking cluster. Expanded parking areas are probably in the future mix. Maybe a walking path on one side of the county road and a bike path on the other can encourage more folks to wander the road without a car before hitting the Lower Loop sweet spot. Two decades hence it might be time for a town shuttle service that has a stop out there.
But simply arguing to not improve an existing parking area in the hopes people will not motor out there is a dream. And it’s a dream that could turn into a big nightmare when more and more people park on the road and on private property.
So let’s have that “long discussion” and decide how to best accommodate the reality. That might mean accepting and dealing with change. Putting it in perspective, I have to say, Tuesday morning was nice out there. And while it won’t be the same in July those who make the effort to experience the Lower Loop even in the height of summer will certainly still enjoy it. The genie is out of the bottle so we might as well make it a pleasant experience.