What's the future for Colorado's closed Echo Lake Lodge?

For a second summer in a row, Echo Lake Lodge high up on the way to Mount Blue Sky will remain closed. Denver Mountain Parks which owns the property and a string of other parks outside of the city limits is still working on a plan for the 98-year-old facility.

"Our initial goal was go to have it re-opened by 2026, the 100-year anniversary. I don't know that that's feasible but the hope is to have begun construction or have an idea of our direction by then," said Shannon Dennison, director of Denver Mountain Parks that oversees properties like Echo Lake, Red Rocks, Winter Park Resort, Genesee Park and Buffalo Bill's Museum and Grave. 

Denver Mountain Parks is in the process of reviewing its assets and how they function individually and independently. The lease of the concessionaire at Echo Lake Lodge was not renewed in 2022. 

The Lodge has been closed since the 2022 season ended in October of that year. There was a food truck at times, but otherwise, the structure itself sat locked up. A ranger did occupy one room as a caretaker. 

Over the past year some repair work has been done, like replacing a 75-year-old propane tank, and a preservation carpenter has be-built the rear stairs. They have also replaced gas heaters and re-did one bathroom where the ranger stays, but others remain in their aged condition.

The closure brought criticism from longtime fans of the restaurant and gift shop, which was run by the same family for decades. But Denver Mountain Parks says the septic system was overwhelmed with the degree of use, resulting in backups and closed bathrooms. 

It had been designed for about 2,000 gallons of sewage a day, but was getting at times 7,000 gallons of effluent a day. 

"The dishwasher was going from morning to evening, people were coming in and out all day long flushing toilet after toilet. There was a full-time staff that lived here and took showers and did their laundry. So the impact on the mechanical systems was not sustainable," said Dennison. 

The city as landlord was responsible for the condition of the system, which was redone ten years ago. Ultimately that level of use says Dennison, would require a full water treatment facility. 

"This is meant to be a rustic experience, it's on the edge of wilderness. That type of facility just doesn't work here," said Dennison.

The building, which dates to 1926, was built at a time when there was far less population and fewer visitors.

The city has brought in a historic preservation architect to look at the building and its potential uses. It is not likely to again have a restaurant to the scale of the one that was operating. 

"Our mission isn't to generate profit and revenue. Our mission isn't to generate businesses, it's to connect people to places and to parks and the environment in a meaningful way," said Dennison, who has a background in preservation. "In an ideal world, we would have unlimited capacity. Right now we're on a well and a septic system which means that this has to be a self-sustained system. In an ideal world, you'd be able to do all those things and you just can't." 

Denver Mountain Parks plans a public questionnaire about potential uses but is already looking at what could be done. The building is not insulated and doing so would ruin the character of the log walls and ceilings, so winter use is unlikely. 

But Denver Mountain Parks is thinking about winter activities. 

"More cross-country skiing trails, more snowshoeing, ice skating, other types of a rustic mountain experience both in the summertime and wintertime." 

Skating would be at the lake down the road, which Dennison says was more closely joined with the lodge in years past than it has become. There are rooms upstairs and rental is possible, but only in a rustic sense. 

"This is unlikely to ever be a hotel or to be a five-star experience," she explained. "They need investment. The showers are pretty gross."

The bar, where people could enjoy a hot chocolate in the past is likely to come out. It was original to Red Rocks and the space would be put to other use. The dining room might be multi-use. 

The dining hall has a history that includes events like dances back in the 1920s.  

"There's a pretty big opportunity for a multi-use space for educational space. To bring kids up to learn about the outdoors. To do education around preventative search and rescue. To hold meetings, to have special events," said Dennison. 

She believes there might be more engagement with experts on-site. 

"A ranger desk so we can have a one-on-one interaction and we can have education for wildlife and safety. Or we can have a smaller scale gift shop so people can still have that experience here so it doesn't take up the entire footprint of the interior space," said Dennison.  

The septic system is likely to be supplemented by outdoor toilets to meet demand. What isn't likely is a rapid re-opening. Dennison says historic preservation takes time. 

"If we want to maintain the character, the wilderness setting of this place, we have to figure out where those compromises fit in," she said. 

"Change is hard," she noted about moving away from its most recent uses. 

"This why I'm drawn to historic preservation because we do develop really strong attachments to these places. But if we're not taking good care of the building then we're not doing anybody any favors," she said.