Mount Evans amenity fee dropped for those not using facilities

Mount Evans amenity fee dropped for those not using facilities

07/09/2012 01:46:30 PM MDT

The U.S. Forest Service is dropping fees for Mount Evans visitors who don't use the parking lots and facilities along the country's highest paved road. After 15 years of charging every vehicle, hiker and cyclist, the Forest Service has agreed to charge only visitors who use three improved parking areas and interpretive sites.The decision — reached late last week — settles a lawsuit filed by users who argued that the Forest Service did not have the authority to charge visitors who were accessing public lands without using the Mount Evans summit viewing platform, the Mount Goliath interpretive area and the Denver-owned Summit Lake Park.

Read more: Mount Evans amenity fee dropped for those not using facilities - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21...#ixzz26HbgwyVO

Good for them!

I don't know. Was just up there a couple weeks ago and was happy to pay my fee towards the maintenance of such an amazing scenic highway. I hope it doesn't negatively affect their ability to maintain current standards.

OK, just read the article. As I suspected:

Quote:

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Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said her department was not included in the settlement negotiations. However, Colorado 5 — a seasonal highway that typically opens in May and closes with the first significant snowfall — is "already having major problems with the edge of the road crumbling.
"If the road has eroded and it's unsafe, we are not going to allow parking alongside the road," she said.


Read more: Mount Evans amenity fee dropped for those not using facilities - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21...#ixzz26HvOSbXX
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I pulled off the side of the road to get shots like this, I'd hate to lose the opportunity:

http://www.skiervillage.com/attachme...5&d=1346374041

Rode up there last month. Did not pay. However, was warned not to stop in any of the parking areas or dare use the bathrooms.