Hikers might want to think twice before parking their vehicles on the side of Colorado’s Guanella Pass Road — a popular leaf peeping spot and access point to fourteener Mount Bierstadt.

Clear Creek County announced on its social media pages on Wednesday that the sheriff’s office will begin enforcing parking rules in “No Parking” zones on county right-of-way road shoulders on Clear Creek County Road 381, extending to the Park County line.

The enforcement will officially begin this Friday.

Parking zone violations will result in a $87.50 ticket, according to Jennifer Fulton, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

County officials said road authorities installed new “No Parking” signs along Guanella Pass Road to alert drivers of the change to parking on the busy stretch of road from Georgetown to Grant.

“These signs are crucial for helping us manage traffic congestion in the popular recreation area,” officials said in the social media post. “This measure is vital for public safety, allowing first responders clear and unobstructed access to assist those in need, especially during peak seasons like leaf peeping.”

A sheriff’s office deputy said on Thursday morning that the parking lot atop Guanella Pass was designed to accommodate only a certain amount of daily visitors, based on the size of the lot, with efforts to keep a sustainable experience for those recreating and to minimize human impact on the area.

In 2024, Clear Creek County officials said that improper or illegal parking significantly hindered emergency vehicle access along the road.

Fulton pointed to one incident last leaf peeping season, in which an emergency vehicle could not get to the top of the summit. That incident ultimately led to the changes being implemented today.

“There have been more tickets this summer than in the past,” she said. “When you have vehicles parked on both sides of the highway partially on pavement, now you have a one-way road. That’s an issue.”

Fulton added that the sheriff’s office has not heard any backlash from residents and travelers about the new zones, but the enforcement has just begun.

Regarding plans to build larger facilities or more parking zones along Guanella Pass Road, Fulton said the land belongs to the U.S. Forest Service, so those decisions would fall on the federal government.