Blue Lakes- San Juans Usage Comments

[dwoodward13]

Little bit late, but the draft management plan has been submitted. Those that made comments in the prior 2 comment periods have 45 days to object before the plan becomes final (by my reading).

Highlights include:
No dogs in the Mt. Sneffels Zone
Permits for day and overnight use in the Wilderness Zone (Blue Lakes), starting as early as summer 2025. A fee above the rec.gov processing fee would require an additional comment period
Improved parking/bathroom situation at the Blue Lakes TH

https://ouraycountyco.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=758

[Boggy B]

Thanks! I objected (again) to the size of the permit zone within the wilderness area. At least one aspect of the plan (that I have a personal stake in) has changed in response to public feedback--they moved the permit season start date from May 1 to June 1.

[dwoodward13]

The final plan is out. Headlines are:

• Staring as early as June 1, 2025, but possibly delayed until 2026 pending getting the system all lined out

• Permits for overnight (24 people max per day, only 4 campsites) and day use (40 people per day). You wouldn't need both an overnight and a day use if you are camping, just one or the other.

• Parking lot improvements and new bathrooms

• No permits for Sneffels from YBB, but no dogs are now allowed

I may have missed a few things, but that's what sticks out to me. Seems pretty inline with the previously proposed actions.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/gmug/?project=61979
https://www.denverpost.com/2024/09/10/b ... it-system/

[XterraRob]

I wonder what the current daily usage is for Blue Lakes compared to the 40 permits they want to issue.

[dwoodward13]

I wonder what the current daily usage is for Blue Lakes compared to the 40 permits they want to issue.

Some of the backup information on the USFS page has this documentation based on using a TRAFx counter placed near the trailhead. Data was collected from June 1 to Oct 15, 2021. I believe this TRAFx data would "double count" ie would count one person on the way up and down leading to a count of 2 per each person, but still thats a significant reduction.

[Boggy B]

It's too bad they couldn't limit the permit zone to Blue Lakes and immediate vicinity, which is attracting all the traffic resulting in environmental impacts there and downstream. They did respond to this objection but reasoning for nonconsideration was obtuse. Unfortunately that means you can't anymore approach (via Wilderness aspects) a good number of peaks without permit contention after June 1 seasonally. Whether it's difficult to get a last-minute permit in June remains to be seen but given the traffic counts above I expect it will be.