There is no designated parking near the Lead King Loop trailhead for the trucks and trailers needed to haul the machines. Many in Marble feel this has put the squeeze on their town, population 140, which has limited resources and infrastructure to handle the influx.
Tag: 3rd Place Extended Coverage
Backcountry motorized recreation pains remote mountain town
2022 SPJ Award Credit: Curtis Wackerle/Aspen Journalism
The town of Marble, located in a remote valley on Colorado’s Western Slope, has been at the center of a unique public lands controversy: The historic use of off-road vehicles along a nearby backcountry road system has increased in popularity over recent years to the point of degrading environmental and quality of life values for area residents and non-motorized recreationists.
Posted inEnvironment
OHV authorization will continue near Marble, but clock is ticking
While the commissioners did not enact a de facto moratorium on OHV, ATV and UTV traffic on the county road leading to the Lead King Loop, the discovery of a language error in a county resolution served to elevate the issue.
Posted inEnvironment
Gunnison County appears unlikely to ban off-highway vehicles on road to Lead King Loop this summer
Gunnison County commissioners expressed concern that an immediate, partial ban would be counterproductive but called for partner agencies to ‘lean in’ to long-term solutions.
Posted inEnvironment
Enforcement, education campaign to debut on Lead King Loop this summer near Marble
An academic study found broad-based concern among residents about “degraded quality of life” related to the increasing number of visitors.