Acorn Creek Trailhead north of Silverthorne got a lot of attention last week, with enough visitors Saturday that the Summit County Sheriff’s Office had to enforce parking regulations there. The trail, known for having good early-season wildflower viewing, got attention on social media recently.

In one TikTok touting the trail’s beauty, user jacelyncg said she saw Acorn Creek on her For You Page the night before and decided to visit. She called the view the most beautiful scenery she had seen in her life and showed her view of flowers and mountain peaks.

The video garnered over 600,000 views and 101,000 likes, and although the creator said everyone should move to Colorado, the comments disagreed.

“(Expletive) don’t tell them it’s Colorado and don’t tell them to move here,” one user commented. “We’re full have you seen home prices. Tell them it’s Washington.”

@jacelyncg nature girl alert! i love summertime in colorado &lt3 #hike #denver #colorado ♬ The Bug Collector – BEN SCOTT

Even if that video and others like it do not convince people to move to Colorado, they may have convinced some to visit Acorn Creek, as Lt. Mike Schilling said the Sheriff’s Office received two calls June 7 about overflowing parking at the trailhead.

“(There were) approximately 30 cars parked on the county road, blocking access, making it difficult to get in and out of the area,” Schilling said. “That caused our deputy to go up there.”

Writing 30 tickets takes time, Schilling said, and because a more pressing call came in while the deputy was at Acorn Creek, they issued about 30 warnings instead.

The Sheriff’s Office put a mobile sign near the trailhead Friday to remind people not to park on county roads. Schilling said the area already has signs, and parking on county roads is something the office normally enforces.

“It’s $110 fine,” Schilling said. “Last week just happened to be a warning, but we take trailhead parking seriously.”

Schilling said the Sheriff’s Office does not want to write parking tickets, but overparking at trailheads causes safety concerns, as blocking the road makes it harder for emergency vehicles to get through if someone needs help with a twisted ankle or medical emergency.

“I always describe it as kind of like a snowball effect,” Schilling said. “The more people that want to go to that trail, the more people end up parking on the road, the more people on the trail, the more likelihood that there’s going to be an incident.”

On top of a ticket, people who park on county roads risk getting their vehicle towed, Schilling said, because the Sheriff’s Office can tow vehicles out of the way “if the situation warrants it.”

Enforcing trailhead parking is not uncommon for the Sheriff’s Office, Schilling said, although it usually happens in the fall when visitors come to Summit County to see leaves change color. If people park on the road at Acorn Creek this weekend, they might not get off with warnings.

“There’s always a balance between incidents that are happening in the county,” Schilling said. “If we have the time, we will write tickets. If there’s something else that’s more critical happening and our deputies have to be pulled in another direction, then it might be a warning.”

Schilling said if people arrive at a trailhead and see the parking is full, they should take advantage of the many other trails around Summit County.

“It’s probably not going to be the best user experience anyway,” Schilling said. “Do a little extra research and find that special, secluded place that you can recreate.”