Summit County staff have officially ironed out the details regarding the pilot shuttle system and reserved parking at Quandary Peak and McCullough Gulch trailheads. The goal of the new system is to mitigate public safety concerns and reduce overcrowded parking at the trailheads. Hikers are required to use the methods beginning Friday, July 30.

How to hike Quandary Peak

The shuttle for Quandary Peak trailhead will be offered from Breckenridge’s Airport Road parking lot and will operate from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. seven days a week, according to a news release. The shuttle will run every 30 minutes.

The shuttles operated on a first-come, first-served basis. The last pickup at the Quandary Peak trailhead will be at 7 p.m.

In addition to the shuttle, hikers can take advantage of the reserved parking at the trailhead. Time slots for the trailhead are as follows:

• Half-day shift: 4 to 11:30 a.m. ($20)
• Half-day shift: Noon to 7:30 p.m. ($20)
• Full-day shift: 4 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ($50)

Visitors can make a reservation on ParkQuandary.com, and the site is expected to go live on Monday, July 26. Violators will be ticketed or towed.

According to the release, Quandary Peak Trail is a 6.6 mile heavily trafficked out-and-back trail that is rated as difficult and can take four to seven hours depending on one’s ability. Hikers are encouraged to start early in the day.

How to hike McCullough Gulch

For those wishing to use the McCullough Gulch trail, shuttles will run from the Quandary Peak trailhead to McCullough Gulch trailhead and back, says the release.

Hikers will either need to reserve a parking spot at Quandary Peak trailhead or take the Quandary Peak Shuttle from Breckenridge to the Quandary Peak lot in order to catch the McCullough Gulch shuttle.

McCullough Gulch will also have reserved parking broken into three-hour shifts beginning at 4 a.m. These parking spots cost $5 and are open exclusively to McCullough Gulch hikers. Visitors can also make a reservation on ParkQuandary.com starting Monday, July 26.

Similarly to Quandary Peak trailhead, violators will be ticketed or towed.

In order to prepare for the new parking system, improvements will be made to the Quandary Peak parking lot, which will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 27 and 28. The release says parking will be limited, and visitors are encouraged to avoid hiking Quandary on these days.

For more information about the pilot program and shuttle schedule, visit Summit County’s website at SummitCountyCO.gov.