Fee proposed for Devil's Backbone

Users may soon be paying the price for intense management

Photos by Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com

A potential fee has been proposed for the Devil's Backbone Trailhead, which is the south entrance to Devil's Backbone Open Space, located off U.S. 34 west of Loveland. This trailhead has had no charge to the public historically, said Larimer County officials.
A fee is charged at the Blue Sky Trailhead, which is the north entrance to Devil's Backbone Open Space, located off County Road 38E west of Fort Collins. The department also charges entrance fees for Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and Hermit Park Open Space, which are the two other intensively managed open spaces in Larimer County's system.
"The department is funded primarily through a sales tax and user fees," said Larimer County Natural Resources Director Gary Buffington, "and we have a responsibility to maintain financial stability."
"Devil’s Backbone Trailhead is currently the only intensively managed location in Larimer County's park and open space system where we do not collect a fee," Buffington said.
 Open house presentations were held at the Larimer County Loveland Campus on Oct. 22, and a second open house took place at Larimer County Courthouse Offices in downtown Fort Collins on Nov. 8. A third meeting took place  Nov. 20 in Estes Park.
For more information on the fee study, please contact Natural Resources Director Gary Buffington at (970) 619-4560 or gbuffington@larimer.org.
View proposed fee adjustments (PDF of presentation from consultant Harvey Economics).