Impact of COVID 19 on Colorado State Parks

“[They were] crushing their previous visitation numbers.” That’s how Jeanette Lara, Southeast Region Volunteer Coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, refers to the number of visitors this summer to Lake Pueblo State Park.

When Colorado’s government responded to the COVID-19 crisis by ordering citizens to stay home and businesses in the fitness and entertainment industries to close, Coloradans were left with limited recreation options.

Some Coloradans took the opportunity to buy home gym equipment, while other Coloradans headed for the hills. Literally, going in droves to Colorado’s 41 state parks.

“I think we have a lot of new recreationists out there,” Lara said in a September news release. From beginner beachgoers to novice trail users, first-time outdoorspeople provided park volunteers and staff with their own share of challenges this summer.

“[There was] definitely a bigger trash problem this year than in years past,” says Senior Park Ranger Daryl Seder at Lake Pueblo State Park. The most visited state park in Colorado, Lake Pueblo’s 60 miles of shoreline received a record-setting 452,698 visitors in June alone, according to Public Information Officer Bill Vogrin.

The sheer variety of discarded items was overwhelming. “We had everything from your normal beer cans, food cans, to people coming to the beaches and leaving couches and recliners,” Seder says.

Never in his seven years at Lake Pueblo had Seder seen living-room furniture on the beach. And for volunteers and maintenance staff who normally clean up the park, wrestling furniture made a mess.

“We run into the same problems when our trash is full that you would at your house,” says Seder. The park pays for trash removal. Recliners, he says, take up too much dumpster space.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Just south of Colorado Springs, Cheyenne Mountain State Park does not host beachgoers or parties, and while the park saw no trash increase this summer, it did face another challenge: clashes between trail users.

“[We had] people getting pissed off at the other user groups for going too fast or not getting out of the way when they’re supposed to,” says Senior Ranger Jason Hagan.

Hagan notes this spring’s spike in trail users included many first-time visitors, and for novices, he adds, trail etiquette can be complicated. Beginners may not know who has the right of way or freeze in the heat of the moment.

As a result, the park saw an increase in complaints for weeks, with staff receiving calls from users reporting rude or dangerous behavior all over the park.

If an incident is reported, says Hagan, staff try to contact the offending party. And even for immediate complaints, it’s a difficult task. “…[On] 30 miles of trails it’s hard to find one specific mountain biker,” says Hagan. But if an incident is reported hours or days after an incident, Hagan explains, there is almost nothing park staff can do.

First Trail Ambassador Program

After weeks watching novice hikers and bikers bungle trail etiquette, staff started Cheyenne Mountain State Park’s first Trail Ambassador Program. Since the inception of the program in late June, some 20 ambassadors can be found on the trails throughout the week.

Hagan says the ambassadors, “provide assistance to people on the trail, take reports, [and] keep an eye on things, but most importantly they provide a good example.”

The program’s success was instant. “[In] June, we saw a huge decline in complaints,” says Hagan. In fact, since the program started, Hagan cannot recall a single user-conflict incident coming to his attention.

Instead, agencies have contacted Cheyenne Mountain State Park asking how they can replicate the program in their own jurisdictions. Says Hagan, “That’s been kind of cool to see local agencies come to us saying, ‘Hey, how are you doing this, and is it working?’”

Park Visitation Numbers

Between approaching colder weather and reopening most indoor activities, Colorado State Parks visitation numbers are returning to normal levels.

“Now that more businesses are open, there’s more options,” says Seder, explaining why late summer visitation numbers returned closer to 2019 levels. “I think [next year] we’ll be able to manage our trash system the same way we usually have,” he says.

At Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Hagan and the Trail Ambassadors plan to keep reminding recreators of the same simple lesson: “Be courteous and considerate of everyone.”

---

The Maverick Observer, or “The Moe” as we affectionately call it, is an online free-thinking publication interested in the happenings in our town. We launched in February 2020 to hold our politicians and businesses accountable. We hope to educate, inform, entertain, and infuse you with a sense of community.

---