Getting the blues

After hitting the pause button in 2025, Blue Lakes is again open for business  – with a few changes to how you do your, uh, business.

For starters, there is a new trailhead parking lot, with actual delineated spots, as well as an added overflow lot for oversized vehicles and trailers. In total, there are 45 first-come, first-served parking spots, and parking is prohibited along CR 7 leading up to the trailhead. The idea is, when the lots are full, visitors will need to move along to Plan B, Dana Gardunio, Ouray District Ranger for the USFS, told the Denver Post.

In addition to no free-range parking, there will also be no more free-range pooping. Hikers will find a new, expanded bathroom at the trailhead, but after that, they’ll need to pack it out. According to Gardunio, No. 2 was the No. 1 problem during last year’s clean-up. “We found piles of human feces and toilet paper behind almost every tree,” she said.

Gardunio recommends bringing a wag bag or other comparable container. She also reminds folks that it is poor form to pee near lakes and to please do so at least 200 feet from trails, campsites and water sources.

There will also be restrictions on camping this summer, with overnight group size limited to six and, as usual, no camping at the middle and upper lakes. Although dispersed camping will still be allowed at the lower lake, site availability will be limited, with many areas still undergoing restoration. In addition, bear-resistant food storage containers will be required, and camp spots must be at least 100 feet away from water and trails. And, as always, fires are prohibited in the wilderness area.

Seeing some 35,000 visitors a year, Blue Lakes is among the most popular trails in Colorado. So popular, that the Forest Service was forced to implement a plan to repair the natural environment, which had taken a beating over the years. In addition to a permit system slated for 2027, that plan included last summer’s closure, which entailed remediating human-made campsites and trails, clearing dead trees, and cleaning up human waste.

The Forest Service along with the San Juan Mountains Association will have people at the trailhead and along the trail to ensure compliance, Gardunio said.