Hikers could face $5,000 fine and 6-months in jail for accessing closed 14er trailhead
The road to one of the state’s most popular fourteener trailheads remains closed as summer rolls on, with the penalty for breaking the prohibition classified as a Class B misdemeanor and punishable with a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals and imprisonment for up to six months.
The road involved is National Forest Service Road 8, which travels from Alma to Kite Lake with Kite Lake being home to a campground and the popular DeCaLiBron loop trailhead.
Per the order, the portion of the road that’s closed starts at Kite Lake and travels 1.15 miles to the forest boundary. The reason the closure is in place is for the sake of public safety amid roadway construction that’s underway.
The closure is set to be in place until July 31 unless rescinded, meaning that hikers are not allowed to tackle Mount Democrat, Mount Lincoln, Mount Cameron, or Mount Bross via the standard route until then. These peaks are quite popular, considered to be among some of the best for beginner fourteener hikers in the state. Per data from 2024, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people climbed these mountains during that year, with 2025 data not yet released.
The closure order was put in place on June 4, 2026.
Read more about the closure order here.
STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)
Get OutThere
Signup today for free and be the first to get notified on new updates.
PREV
PREVIOUS
Beer championship dubs Colorado brewery second-best in U.S.
Winners of the 2026 U.S. Open Beer Championship have been announced, and as might be expected, Colorado ended up with plenty of medals. Described as the third-largest beer competition that takes place in the United States, the U.S. Open Beer Championship allows breweries from around the globe to compete in more than 180 categories and […]
Bishop Castle "marked safe from the fire," says Polis after visit
With the Aspen Acres fire now at more than 99,000 acres with 36 percent containment, the topic of whether or not Bishop Castle survived the blaze continues to be asked. Governor Jared Polis took to social media on July 14 to share some good news. Posting a photo of himself in front of the hugely […]