PARKING AREA DESIGN OPTIONS, PUBLIC INPUT WILL GO TO OPEN SPACE BOARD The selection of a possible redesign of the parking and access at Penny Hot Springs will go to the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board in November. The Board will consider public input provided during a six-week comment period that closed Sept. 19th.
Find the proposed designs and information on existing conditions in the graphics below. The designs include safety improvements for the steep routes to and from the hot springs, between the parking area and the river's edge. More detailed information, including cost estimates, is available in presentation materials provided to the Open Space Board (above) during an Aug. 4th Board meeting.
PENNY HOT SPRINGS MANAGEMENT PLAN Potential changes to the parking area and improvements to the trail between the parking and the springs are envisioned in a management plan for Penny Hot Springs, adopted in 2020. Find out more about the management actions contained in the plan below.
RULES FOR HOT SPRINGS USE
No dogs at springs
No camping
Leave No Trace – pack in/pack out all items/waste
No glass
No amplified music
No drones
MANAGEMENT ACTIONS See the management plan link below for more about the long and colorful history of Penny Hot Springs, rules for its use, and details about its future management. Here’s a summary of management actions that are spelled out in the plan:
Install a trial port-a-potty in the hot springs pullout (done).
Seek a potential spot for an emergency call box at or in the vicinity of the hot springs.
Install interpretive signage that offers information about the history of the springs and explains why the special setting is important to protect .
Redesign the parking area with a defined entrance and exit, and provide about 10 designated parking spaces. (Design options now under consideration retain all or almost all of the existing parking spaces.) A design that provides a defined entrance and exit from the parking area has been eliminated from consideration by the Open Space and Trails Board due to its high cost and significant reduction in available parking.)
Create a single, sustainable trail route between the parking area and the springs, and stabilize/restore the rest of the hillside.
Work with CDOT and the U.S. Forest Service on alternate locations for parking to serve climbers accessing an area known as the Narrows.
Work with CDOT to delineate a no-passing zone in the southbound lane of Hwy. 133 in the vicinity of the hot springs.
Evaluate other property acquisitions that could help alleviate pressure and problems at the hot springs pullout.
For more information contact: Jessie Young, Planning and Outreach Manager, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails jessie.young@pitkincounty.com or 970-429-6169