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Blue Lakes Trailhead

?PARKING
The summer parking permit/shuttle system in place for the main Quandary Peak trailhead does NOT include the road to Blue Lakes. Hopefully we will continue to have free, unreserved access to this area. Colorado Springs Utilities, who owns the dam, has recently started gating the Blue Lakes road 3/4 mile below the dam but there is parking near the gate.
  
6/11/2016
Posted On: 6/11/2016 By: MountainHiker
Info: Road is clear to the gate / parking area 3/4 mile below dam. Road is clear for walking all the way to the dam. Still some snow on the side of the road, plus one really big rock that would need to be moved if they did open the gate.
 
6/2/2016
Posted On: 6/2/2016 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Road is clear to within 3/4 mile of the dam and upper TH. Plenty of parking at the current snow closure.
 
12/5/2015
Posted On: 12/7/2015 By: jwgrosser
Info: Road is blocked by a pile of snow (snowplow dump) at the end of the residential portion. Beyond the snow pile the road possibly looked doable in a 4x4 but after getting my lifted jeep stuck in the snow pile and digging out for 30 minutes I decided not to try it. However, after digging my jeep out there is now a nice passage through the snow pile.
 
9/13/2015
Posted On: 9/14/2015 By: Eagle Eye
Info: I think its worth repeating Guthrie 4th of July 2013 warning: yesterday some people at the upper parking lot had a note left on their car. The note said a mountain goat had jumped up on their car and walked across it! The owners were laughing and thought it was funny! I went and looked at their car (Volkswagen Jetta) and could only see footprints in the dust on it (no scratches or damage)
 
7/26/2015
Posted On: 7/27/2015 By: emgordon
Info: Easily passable all the way to upper dam. As few larger potholes and rutted sections to take slow. Large variety of sedans, suvs, and trucks seen.
 
6/7/2015
Posted On: 6/8/2015 By: summit2sea
Info: Clear all the way to the dam (minus one small slide across the road). Gate closed at first lake. Small snowfield next to dam at beginning of trail, but passable without snowshoes. Snow gets deeper, with post-holing, at about 11,800‘.
 
5/17/2015
Posted On: 5/18/2015 By: Eagle Eye
Info: Easily drivable to the gate closure at the parking lot below the dam.
 
4/4/2015
Posted On: 4/5/2015 By: jeffth5
Info: Most people chose to park at the winter closure, however, someone has dug a gap in the snowbank and it is possible to squeeze through. We saw three vehicles that made it to the junction at mile 1.4: a Land Rover got stuck in snow in the middle of the road, a 4runner stopped at that same point and did not attempt the tricky spot and a wrangler made it past this spot and all the way to the summer TH. The road is mostly melted, and in 2-3 weeks it will be passable for most vehicles unless there is more major snow. There are periodic snow banks in the road that caused the trouble, otherwise it is fairly snow free. The skin track is off to the side of the road next to the trees (and even then, discontinuous) and it would not be possible to snowmobile up the road. In the afternoon, it was very muddy as the temperature rose to 45+ degrees.
 
2/10/2015
Posted On: 2/11/2015 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Road is closed for winter at the usual location, nearly 2 miles from the dam
 
9/10/2014
Posted On: 9/14/2014 By: 2giqs
Info: Same as the August 18 status minus the goats.
 
8/18/2014
Posted On: 8/18/2014 By: abell9er
Info: Clear and Dry to the dam. Small ruts to navigate, but still easily driven by 2WD. Immediately greeted by family of goats that show no fear of humans or cars.
 
6/4/2014
Posted On: 6/4/2014 By: elchivoloco
Info: Still deep avalanche debris right below the dam. They‘re using a front loader to start digging it out. Drive-able to the avy debris spot, with parking by the lower lakes.
 
2
5/18/2014
Posted On: 5/19/2014 By: cascadecoach
Info: There is still quite a snow bank at the winter closure. Spots along the road to Blue Lakes are starting to melt out. The deepest snow is right before the damn where multiple avalanches have deposited snow on the road cut. I would guess another two to three weeks of this warm weather until the entire road is clear.
 
1/17/2014
Posted On: 1/18/2014 By: gottaclimbemall
Info: Drove to 850 from Alma on Colorado 9. Upon initially turning onto 850 the road was nicely packed and had no issues with an AWD Subaru Outback. However, between 1/4 and 1/2 mile down the road becomes unpacked snow, impossible to drive without a lifted 4WD vehicle. Between 1-2ft of unpacked snow all the way to Blue Lake/Dam. Parking at the winter trailhead is necessary, adds around 2 miles roundtrip if climbing the West Ridge or South Couloir.
 
11/12/2013
Posted On: 11/13/2013 By: Alan Arnette
Info: Few patches of snow and ice but 90% clear. No goats :)
 

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