Private Colorado 14er reopens after new laws add protections for landowners
The Trinchera Blanca Ranch closed access to the Mount Lindsey 14er in 2021, citing a federal court decision that potentially exposed landowners to lawsuits from recreational visitors
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Last year’s legislative adjustments to the Colorado Recreational Use Statute have opened access to a privately owned Colorado 14er that has been closed since 2021.
Hikers climbing the 14,055-foot Mount Lindsey in the Sangre de Cristo Range will need to sign a liability waiver though.
“The ranch has always appreciated the special role that 14ers play in Colorado with the hiking community,” said Andy Mountain, a spokesperson for the Trinchera Blanca Ranch, which is owned by billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon. “With the changes to the Recreational Use Statute last year, we thought it was a step in the right direction. The decision came down to taking that legislation and layering in the waivers, there was a level of comfort with opening the peak.”
The Trinchera Blanca Ranch put up “No Trespassing” signs on summit trails in 2021 in the wake of a 2019 federal appeals court decision that affirmed a $7.3 million award for a cyclist injured on a washed-out trail at the Air Force Academy. That decision prodded many Colorado landowners to reconsider public access to private land, leading to closures and liability waivers.
Last year’s reform of the Colorado Recreational Use Statute was a third attempt to adjust wording the law that allowed lawsuits if an injured person could prove the landowner displayed a “willful or malicious failure to guard against a known dangerous condition.”
Last year’s Senate Bill 58 allowed landowners additional protection from lawsuits if they allowed free access and erected signs warning visitors of dangerous structures, conditions and geographic features.
The Fix CRUS Coalition, representing nearly 50 outdoor industry groups and communities, lobbied lawmakers to amend the statute to better protect landowners after an owner closed land accessing popular 14ers in the Mosquito Range above Alma.
Access to Mount Lindsey will remain via the standard route accessed by the main trailhead with summit access also along the prominent ridge to the peak. There is an online waiver site — mountlindseywaiver.com — and hikers can scan QR codes at the trailhead to fill out a waiver.
“Please remember that the restored climbing access to Mount Lindsey is a privilege that can be withdrawn if people do not follow the rules,” reads an online post by the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, which worked with the Fix CRUS Coalition to secure the legislative change.
