After nearly four years of being closed to the public, permitted access to Mount Lindsey in Southern Colorado has reopened.
The land is owned privately by conservationist Louis Bacon and the Trinchera Blanca Ranch, who decided to close access to the summit following an unrelated lawsuit that spun up liability fears among landowners across the state.
Recreational liability concerns grew out of a 2008 case involving a cyclist, who was severely injured while biking a washed-out section of trail on land owned by the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The accident resulted in severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.
Years later, the cyclist and his wife claimed the Academy had failed to warn the public of the damage to the trail and the resulting danger. They sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and in 2019, the lawsuit was settled for $7 million in damages.
The ruling of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately limited the scope of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Act and increased landowners’ liability exposure across the state. Fearful of what it might mean if other people got injured on publicly accessible lands and sued, the Trinchera Blanca Ranch decided to close the summit of Mount Lindsey.
Since then, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative has been working with the Ranch to resume public access by requiring visitors to sign a digital waiver. On Wednesday, the group announced they’d reached a deal with the owners in a post on Facebook.
“It's been almost four long years since the mountain closed. Thanks to those of you who deferred climbing Lindsey until it could be done legally,” the post reads.
The waiver only covers and allows access to two routes that are reachable from the primary trailhead. A QR code linked to the waiver is also posted at the trailhead.
The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is reminding people to follow the rules and ensure they fill out their waiver online ahead of time to avoid other accidents and future closures.
