Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Barnold41
Posts: 323
Joined: 9/8/2016
14ers: 15 
13ers: 12
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by Barnold41 »

Isn't the fee/shuttle system only for summer months?
User avatar
BillMiddlebrook
Site Administrator
Posts: 6910
Joined: 7/25/2004
14ers: 58  46  19 
13ers: 172 44 37
Trip Reports (2)
 
Contact:

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

Barnold41 wrote: Thu May 12, 2022 3:02 pm Isn't the fee/shuttle system only for summer months?
Yes, June 1 - September 30. Hikers can start to make reservations on ParkQuandary.com on May 18.
"When I go out, I become more alive. I just love skiing. The gravitational pull. When you ski steep terrain... you can almost get a feeling of flying." -Doug Coombs
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by justiner »

Wow McCullough Gulch. That's a little crazy.
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4397
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by justiner »

justiner wrote: Thu May 12, 2022 4:24 pm Wow McCullough Gulch. That's a little crazy.
How did they... do that? I get that they control the main, Quandary TH parking lot, as the city owns the land. Are they just gating CR 851 near the Quandary TH? And/or is this in coordination with the NFS?
User avatar
BillMiddlebrook
Site Administrator
Posts: 6910
Joined: 7/25/2004
14ers: 58  46  19 
13ers: 172 44 37
Trip Reports (2)
 
Contact:

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

First, the county acquired the road. Then the USFS wouldn’t create a larger TH parking area. Then the two parties agreed that the county can disallow parking along the county road. Then the USFS allowed the county to assemble a parking system and manage it, charge for it, prevent people from parking at the official trailhead on the road, and patrol it. It’s unreal.

The USFS shouldn’t allow this to happen since it’s part of their job to provide access to the public. They could have figured out how to provide a large parking area, and even charge for it by providing toilets/amenities. But no.
"When I go out, I become more alive. I just love skiing. The gravitational pull. When you ski steep terrain... you can almost get a feeling of flying." -Doug Coombs
User avatar
Trotter
Posts: 1409
Joined: 6/5/2013
14ers: 58  5 
13ers: 220 2 8
Trip Reports (10)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by Trotter »

BillMiddlebrook wrote: Thu May 12, 2022 5:39 pm First, the county acquired the road. Then the USFS wouldn’t create a larger TH parking area. Then the two parties agreed that the county can disallow parking along the county road. Then the USFS allowed the county to assemble a parking system and manage it, charge for it, prevent people from parking at the official trailhead on the road, and patrol it. It’s unreal.

The USFS shouldn’t allow this to happen since it’s part of their job to provide access to the public. They could have figured out how to provide a large parking area, and even charge for it by providing toilets/amenities. But no.
The county and city stopped looking at the Quandary parking problem as a problem, and starting looking at it as a nice big revenue stream. Money for the parking, money for the shuttle company, and money to park in an unused lot in the city. Everybody wins!!!! Except for the hikers wallets.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. -Nelson Mandela
Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called Ego. -Nietzsche
johnlantz
Posts: 5
Joined: 8/14/2013
14ers: 1 
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by johnlantz »

I'm curious if summit county or whoever is collecting the money will say how much they expect to make in a year.
User avatar
dwoodward13
Posts: 738
Joined: 3/26/2011
14ers: 58  12 
13ers: 157 6
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by dwoodward13 »

johnlantz wrote: Mon May 16, 2022 9:35 am I'm curious if summit county or whoever is collecting the money will say how much they expect to make in a year.
The results of 2021 can be found here: https://summitcounty.civilspace.io/rail ... Report.pdf

TL;DR: The Shuttle cost the county $267,600. Interstate Parking made $96,242.82 on parking fees and incurred $91,852.20 in expenses. 50% of gross revenue was distributed to Summit County and Breckenridge.

From the shuttle ridership numbers last year (21,283), it looks like they are trying to break even. If all of those are charged $15, (which won't be the case as some of those will be Summit Co residents at $5), that's $315k. Factor in increased fuel costs and other associated increases, that's not much margin over 2021's cost. I'm not sure if Vail Resorts or the town of Breck own the Gondola lot, but that will be an added fee someone will be getting that's not captured above of course.

Just back of the napkin math. I have not seen any projections for 2022 officially laid out, although they may have been covered in the board meeting.
User avatar
speth
Posts: 684
Joined: 4/16/2010
14ers: 58  5 
13ers: 44
Trip Reports (3)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by speth »

I kind of get the Maroon Bells system of shuttle up the road because the logistics and parking, along with the amount of people wanting to go, demands some kind of control.

But the fee is a bus ticket, and you get something of a guided tour to a fairly "wild" location in the shuttle. And you park for free.

And then now, make a reservation in advance. Pay to park at a parking lot in Breckenridge. Then pay to have a bus drive you up 8 miles on a Colorado State Highway, and drop you off of the side of the road. For Quandary Peak...?

All I want is to just have fun, live my life like a son of a gun
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sarcasm or not, it's not even funny to post something like this. Not at this time. Reported.
User avatar
Barnold41
Posts: 323
Joined: 9/8/2016
14ers: 15 
13ers: 12
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by Barnold41 »

speth wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 2:41 pm And then now, make a reservation in advance. Pay to park at a parking lot in Breckenridge. Then pay to have a bus drive you up 8 miles on a Colorado State Highway, and drop you off of the side of the road. For Quandary Peak...?
I Googled "hikes near Breckenridge" while on vacation from Dallas and the Internet told me Mount Quandary would be an easy hike.

But seriously. We skinned up Quandary a few weeks ago and passed a family of 5 from Texas postholing up the first stretch above treeline...
User avatar
nyker
Posts: 3231
Joined: 12/5/2007
14ers: 58 
13ers: 25
Trip Reports (69)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by nyker »

soccern23ny wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 6:40 pm Looks like my most climbed 14er won't being seeing me anytime soon. :(

Fees are pretty outrageous IMO https://www.parkquandary.com/

I can accept a permit system, I can accept a fee, I can accept not parking on a highway shoulder. But 20$ for a half day pass, 50$ for full day? I just imagine you do a half day, something happens on the mountain/or just slower than expected and get dinged a 100$ fee. Can you still park up near the damn for free?

Super bummer news, also seems like it's year round.
Holy cow, this is nuts. I thought it was be bad that New York upped the fee to up to $15 for the more popular ADK trailhead.
Bill G
Posts: 163
Joined: 7/28/2004
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Quandary Peak parking/FEE

Post by Bill G »

You need to face the reality that you were born too late.

I hate reading the stories about permits, parking, reservations, fees, food storage regs,etc.. I guess that's the new reality. When I think back to all those spectacular places I hiked, visited, climbed, etc. I just drove up and went. Even in National Parks you could enter after midnight and not pay a $5 entrance fee. Now reading you've got lottery systems a year in advance and hoards of tourons to boot, it make me sad. Knowing all the places are changed forever show how insightful Big Yellow Taxi truly was.

Even up in my neighborhood in Vail Valley, the Booth Creek TH has some version of this. Not sure what it is, just know I won't be hiking that trail again. i used to hike it at least once a year.
Post Reply