As more and more people continue to use the Laurium Trailhead in Breckenridge to access backcountry skiing spots, the potentially dangerous impacts of the steep grade in its parking lot have become more evident. 

Officials discussed at a Sept. 24 meeting how the 14% grade has caused its fair share of issues in the icy winter months and how it has emerged as a public safety concern. They said local law enforcement has been reporting that as more people use the parking lot to backcountry ski near Bald Mountain, the 15-spot lot can be found overflowing sometimes on weekends. 

Over the past year, Breckenridge has been looking into relocating the lot and got direction on where it should go from Breckenridge Town Council at a Sept. 24 meeting.

Ultimately, they supported the recommendation of the Breckenridge Open Space Commission and town staff members to move the parking to the west side of Summit County Road 528. Town staff members outlined in a meeting memo the current cost estimate for construction is in the ballpark of $231,000, which includes a 15% contingency.

The lot will continue to have 15 spaces and construction is slated to start in 2025. The town is hoping it will be a joint project with Summit County. Council member Jay Beckerman, who is the council’s liaison to the Breckenridge Open Space Commission, sat through numerous discussions regarding the matter. He said three different options were considered including moving the parking lot to the other side of the gate in the area and having parking be on both sides of Summit County Road 528. He said the option that was being recommended was actually thought of by Mayor Kelly Owens around a year ago when she was on a site visit in the area. 

“I know part of the problem with the current parking is people not knowing how to do it right,” council member Marika Page said. “Is there something specific about this design that is going to make people do it right?”

Open space and trails manager Duke Barlow said staff is thinking that choosing a flatter area with a less significant grade will resolve many of those issues. He added the area of the county road they are choosing “lends itself to more efficient programming” overall. 

As she does with many construction projects, Page also asked staffers if adequate input was taken from surrounding neighbors to see how they felt about the proposed changes. Barlow responded that while the outreach wasn’t comprehensive, staffers did talk to neighbors. 

He said residents weren’t overly concerned about the traffic construction could bring because there has been a decent amount of construction and traffic in the area over the past two years. 

“They’re desensitized to it at this point, and (said) it would be okay if it made the whole situation safer,” Barlow said. 

The other two options could have had impacts to wetlands, nearby animal habitats and the historical remains of the Laurium Mill. Beckerman said the con to moving parking to the west side of Summit County Road 528 is people will have to cross the road to get to the trailhead. Because of this, town staff members have proposed creating a guided trail going from the parking lot to the trailhead. This will require some new signage and moving the kiosk in addition to construction, which adds to the overall price tag of the project.