Just to get back on track, any overnight area with unattended vehicles can be a target for thieves. I haven't heard of anything up the Como road, but I have heard of break-ins at the Willow Creek trailhead and Mt Yale trailhead. It seems the easier access with low turnover are most common. Especially if its a hike requiring an all-day or overnight trek. Leaves an area pretty empty for a few hours.
Due to RVs it sounds like the area the OP is referring to would be down towards the desert and could be easy targets to spot from the road. I camped in a pop-up down there once. No issues.
Break-ins on Lake Como Road
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was blaming you.
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
Most people don't want to poop on the ground and leave their trash lying around, and will do the right thing if you make it easy. The first time I visited Canada, I was blown away by how they put trash cans at every roadside pullout. If trailheads had trash cans instead of "pack it in, pack it out" signs, there would be a lot less trash left around. If there were fewer locked vault toilets, fewer people would surreptitiously poop behind them. Just think.Monte Meals wrote: ↑Wed Jun 11, 2025 4:48 pm ^ "ick, make it go away!" is a terrible response to seeing a poor person"
Opinions may vary, but I for one consider fecal matter, garbage, and trash dumped on US Forest lands a crime.
When was the last time that you saw a homeless encampment that was free of that crap?
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
I'm speculating, but I'm also worried that what we're starting to see is the already stretched out USFS employees coming to a breaking point this summer due to the reported funding cuts from the current administration. I'm not trying to Chicken Little these issues, but I am worried about such things as SAR missions, responses to forest fires, etc. Maybe those closer to this issue can chime in -- interloper?
The "Sky Is Falling" scenario is that funding cuts lead to continued problems like abuse of public lands -> which restricts public access -> take that to any nightmare scenario.
The "Sky Is Falling" scenario is that funding cuts lead to continued problems like abuse of public lands -> which restricts public access -> take that to any nightmare scenario.
Long May You Range! Purveyors of fine bespoke adventures
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
Yes, only air-drops and pickups to/from peak - 3k contour line will be allowed from now on in CO peakbagging.
Question for FKT experts: would using Summon feature with Jetson ONE for pickup count as unsupported or self-supported attempt?
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
I'm not sure there's much else to be said here. Break-ins and theft are becoming more common there and law enforcement knows about it. Like most issues here in the SLV, we're limited by local resources and funding. Posting someone there to patrol regularly isn't practical. Closing down the land to camping isn't legally feasible nor desirable. I don't think there's much else that can be done, honestly. You just have to take your chances and be mindful of this.
Homelessness, poverty, and crime aren't new to the valley. They're part of life here. Sometimes it gets worse, sometimes it gets better. The city of Alamosa has a designated camping site for the homeless where people can stay provided they follow the rules, but it's constantly on the verge of being shutdown by the city. And from the people I've spoken with that live there, it's not a great place to be and it's hard to trust others. Theft and violence are common. Most would rather set up their camps away from others. Local organizations like La Puente do their best for outreach to help get people off of the streets and into transitional housing, but again, resources are very limited, and not everyone wants help. It's complicated.
As far as any advice I can offer to visitors, just be mindful of where you camp. The further up the road you go, the less likely you are to have problems. And stay off our helipad, please.

"May the good lord shine a light on you, warm like the evening sun." - Jagger-Richards, 1972
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
Appreciate you filling in some more of the picture,
Long May You Range! Purveyors of fine bespoke adventures
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
Update on break-ins this past weekend since it was odd: Had both passenger and driver side windows broken and they stole climbing ropes, food and water, and a winter jacket. Oddly enough, they went around my wallet, speaker, laptop, trad gear and other valuables to take the items. Was parked past the trail head recommended by 14ers.com, and my center console and gas cap were broken into (assuming they were looking for keys). Break in happened during day light hours of 0700-1300 on 20 - June from talking to other hikers.
Other cars were also broken into down the trail where the vegetation becomes more scarce. Same areas targeted. Filed a police report and informed them of the other vehicles but found it frustrating they wouldn't look into the other cars unless the owner called them too.
Not sure what the fix is here as my car was sanitized for the average person looking in but hope it's an experience others don't have to share this summer.
Other cars were also broken into down the trail where the vegetation becomes more scarce. Same areas targeted. Filed a police report and informed them of the other vehicles but found it frustrating they wouldn't look into the other cars unless the owner called them too.
Not sure what the fix is here as my car was sanitized for the average person looking in but hope it's an experience others don't have to share this summer.
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
Hey, I'm really sorry to hear about this. *Edit. Saw your location in your trailhead condition report.*EH03 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 24, 2025 12:38 pm Update on break-ins this past weekend since it was odd: Had both passenger and driver side windows broken and they stole climbing ropes, food and water, and a winter jacket. Oddly enough, they went around my wallet, speaker, laptop, trad gear and other valuables to take the items. Was parked past the trail head recommended by 14ers.com, and my center console and gas cap were broken into (assuming they were looking for keys). Break in happened during day light hours of 0700-1300 on 20 - June from talking to other hikers.
Other cars were also broken into down the trail where the vegetation becomes more scarce. Same areas targeted. Filed a police report and informed them of the other vehicles but found it frustrating they wouldn't look into the other cars unless the owner called them too.
Not sure what the fix is here as my car was sanitized for the average person looking in but hope it's an experience others don't have to share this summer.
We have an AVSAR team meeting tonight and I'm going to bring this up to the rest of the team as we have a close working relationship with the county sheriff's office. As I said earlier, I'm not sure what all can be done to address this going forward, but I can at least look into it. Maybe we can get some signage up that would tell people to lock up/hide their valuables and report suspicious activity.
"May the good lord shine a light on you, warm like the evening sun." - Jagger-Richards, 1972
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
I don't think the image you have in your head may not be reality. A lot of these people are not camping there because they are struggling together buy whole working 40 hours a week. Many, but not all, are not working at all.seano wrote: ↑Wed Jun 11, 2025 4:13 pmIf I wanted to make a living stealing catalytic converters (or bikes), I'd pick a place with more of them, like greater Denver. The camping limit is an unfortunate necessity to keep public lands in a pristine state (other than logging and mining) -- "camping more than 21 days" used to be called "homesteading," after all.cottonmountaineering wrote: ↑Wed Jun 11, 2025 3:40 pm Theres a 21 day limit to camping in same spot in most national forest/blm/etc, its not perfect but prevents people with broken RVs from becoming permanent fixtures to public lands
no simple solution to homelessness, but also having meth addicts steal the land and catalytic converters isnt great either
There's no simple solution, but "ick, make it go away!" is a terrible response to seeing a poor person. If they're stealing people's stuff, make them stop. If not, perhaps live and let live.
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Re: Break-ins on Lake Como Road
I enjoyed this book a couple years ago talking about the experience of living pseudo off the grid in the SLV.
Honest to God, one of the other titles the author considered was "Little House on the Prairie... with Meth"
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/book ... d-conover/
Honest to God, one of the other titles the author considered was "Little House on the Prairie... with Meth"
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/book ... d-conover/