Frustrated with the crowds in Colorado’s back country

What options are you looking at out of curiosity?

 

The problems are everywhere. Social media plays a big role. Started MTB in Squamish in1990,trails were empty and could ride a different trail everyday and not run into a soul. Social media,” Best place to ride blah blah blah” and now it’s packed. People don’t keep their mouths shut about great places,post maps for GPS and now the place is popular. I don’t tell people about my hunting spots either.

 

This has been my experience as well. I've been kind of surprised by the lack of people and open campsites the past handful of times I've been out.

 

Gotta go back in time bud. Pre Covid, pre remote workers, pre Starlink, pre social media, pre apps, pre Air bnb, pre legal weed.

I still find good spots though.

 

One problem is the planet is not getting bigger, and we keep breeding like rabbits. Humans are an invasive species, sorry, I know, buzz kill

 

I find that the fishing/hunting atlas has helped me find places that nobody bothers to look up

https://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html

https://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html?app=FishingAtlas&keyword=fspot&value=619

 

One of the many nice things about retirement is being able to do things during the week. During week days everything is way less crowded. I do all my hunting, fishing, 4 wheeling during the week , never on weekends and most places are almost deserted. There are more in the summer months during week days, it’s not bad though, but before summer and after summer during the week few people out and about in the woods and on the back country roads and trails.
A couple examples - one of the places in the Tahoe National Forest I like to go 4 wheeling and fishing, on a weekend it’s like being in a city. People and vehicles everywhere. During the week I might see 2 or 3 vehicles. Same at a lake I take my boat to, to fish. On a weekend there might be 50 or more boats trailers in the parking lot. During the week , less than 5.
I know most people can’t get out there during week days due to work, but if you are fortunate and can, go out and do it.

 

The single drop of rain never feels responsible for the flood.

-Douglas Adams

 

Still tons of great places to go, just need to travel further from the Front Range to get to them. And then don’t post about them online.

 

Sharing is way over rated.

 

You don’t know how good you have it. At least you have places to go, here in New England the bureaucrats have criminally made anything off road non-existent. The states and towns buy up all the open space (with tax payer money) and close it off to anything but foot or bicycle traffic. Here in RI there are absolutely zero places for off road activity. If you buy an atv or any off road vehicle, you have nowhere to enjoy it.

 

Arizona native, 61 years, and similar problems here. Like others have mentioned, it is simple math. Population increases from the west coast and other countries are changing the face of many western states. Like someone mentioned earlier, there is only so much room on earth for the burgeoning population, unfortunately we feel it's necessary to take on everyone else problems and import millions of people every year. Like @Rusty66 just mentioned, you are seeing and will see more western riding and ohv areas shut down due to the increase in traffic. I wish I had a politically correct answer, I don't. Just enjoy what we have for now and continue to fight the good fight to keep it open.

 

Keeping out of politics, while the quote above has some truth, we are FAR from getting to that point. Especially out west. Montana, the Dakota's, Wyoming, Idaho, are just some examples where population density could easily afford a growing population. Will the infrastructure have to grow also?!? Sure, but I don't see that as a hurdle.

 

I agree, but it's already started. One of the reasons the housing costs have gone up in all the states you have mentioned, except maybe the Dakotas. Also, in the last week a proposal to open up previously locked federal lands, that have been under-utilized, has been presented that will open up those lands for affordable housing developments. 40,000 venezualans in CO in two years is just a recent small example. Approx. 8 million population in AZ now with projections of 11-12 million in next 10 years. All this on top of the well-known open border situation with several million in the last few years. Our game and fish arrested 6 middle easterners for poaching dozens and possibly hundereds of big game animals on our rim and the chinese and arabs have purchased a lot of rural agg and ranches. They don't just stay in the cities. Crowding can be subjective, and a crowded campground or trail may seem ok to some. People who grew up without the numbers in their favorite areas will react differently than those who may never have experienced that. But in the end, this is a disposable planet with finite resources. Time will tell, nothing last forever.

 

the succulent poaching in california is wild too.

 

Well heck, since we pride ourselves in going far out there, we just now need to go a little further.

I’m thinking of wheeling the polar ice cap this winter, to see polar bears hunt seals.

It’ll be dark and lonely, but worth it.

 

Yes, CO is ruined.

 

Yep, I don't even load up & go to trails any longer. I just ride from home & find lines where I can - mostly neighborhood trails, ditches, urban assault, any existing structure, etc. I'm not gonna wait in line to ride my bike with a thousand other dickheads - kinda spoils it for me. Don't even get me started on emtb.

As far as exploring goes, get off the internets & just find stuff. Everybody's out there looking for the sweet spots & 99% of them look stuff up. You can still find some degree of isolation - but not by going where everyone wants to go.

 

If you're coming from Denver, you're likely getting some of the 3,000,000 people that live there. You need to get further away.

I went to rainbow falls this last weekend. Once I got into the park, there was almost no one there.

Another nice trail that's a bit further is medano pass. As you approach the sand dunes, there are a lot of people but there is almost never anyone on the north end.