Colorado Trail & Skiing Parking Lots Blocked Due To High Volume Of Cars
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Two parking lots near Loveland Pass were blocked off Sunday morning with snow. The Colorado Department of Transportation says they were forced to place the barriers to stop drivers from parking unsafely on U.S. 6.
"I thought it was nice when they allowed people to go and just do you know park in the right spot," said one skier from Vail who didn't want to give his name.
Colorado State Patrol says they saw license plates from Colorado, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California, Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts at Loveland Pass on Saturday.
Not everyone thinks the closures are warranted.
"I don't understand the social distancing part where we are far more than six feet away from any person, much more so than when we are walking in Walmart and Home Depot," the skier said.
Despite Gov. Jared Polis' stay-at-home order and pleas from local high country government offices for people to stay away, every weekend has seen similar conditions. CBS4 crews spotted license plates from seven different states in one parking lot on Sunday.
Some backcountry users came off the mountain to find their car nearly blocked inside a lot.
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CDOT says this was the only alternative to being forced to close the road down for safety concerns.
Jefferson County Open Space rangers also temporarily closed some parking lots temporarily. They say there were a high number of cars at North Table Mountain and Mount Falcon.
About The Colorado Stay-At-Home Order
Colorado's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak went into effect on the morning of March 26 and it is currently set to expire on April 26.
Coloradans are urged to stay in their own community and not travel for recreation or to get outside. Only essential businesses have been given the green light to keep in-person operations going, and those that remain open are required to keep in line with social distancing guidelines.
