on Leadville and Salida ranger districts
PUEBLO, Colo., May 20, 2025 — The Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) announces the availability of a preliminary environmental assessment, and welcomes public comment, for improved camping management on Leadville and Salida ranger districts near Leadville, Buena Vista and Salida.
The new dispersed camping management plan benefits and enhances public recreation by maximizing vehicle-based camping opportunities next to forest roads, commonly known as car-camping, and reduces impacts to local resources. The project would designate and broaden access to certain areas for better parking and camping opportunities, helping to continue this popular use of public lands well into the future.
No one-size-fits-all approach to camping management exists. Each piece of ground offers something different. To account for this, some designated campsites may vary in size and could be located up to 300 feet from forest roads. Individual layout of sites would prevent further degradation of natural resources including habitat, waterways and native plants and physical features such as livestock water sources and corrals, signs and roadways.
For an added benefit to the public, certain unauthorized routes accessing campsites could be officially adopted to help maximize camping opportunities. No fees or reservations are proposed, and several forest roads that experience low impacts from traditional vehicle-based dispersed camping would not be managed as designated dispersed camping unless conditions drastically change.
Specialists analyzed all forest roads within the Leadville and Salida ranger districts and proposed an “adaptive management strategy” to respond to future needs. This strategy helps the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service respond quickly to many different conditions on the ground.
The project proposal was refined based on previous public comment and input from local and state officials. The Forest Service now welcomes public review of and comments on the environmental assessment.
A legal notice published in the Pueblo Chieftain started the 30-day public comment period. The preliminary environmental assessment, including maps and supporting documents, as well as instructions for submitting comments, are available on the project website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/projects/60591. Please note that comments, including names and addresses of the commenter, become part of the project record.
For questions about the project, contact National Environmental Policy Act Planner Deborah Kill at deborah.kill@usda.gov.
