U.S. Forest Service district ranger Josh Voorhis has become accustomed to receiving daily calls about illegal driving in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, as well as the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands within his jurisdiction.
Most times, Voorhis only witnesses the damage caused by reckless drivers, such as tracks through a muddy meadow. But Aug. 27 was different.
That day, Voorhis’ team was tending to two incidents in which drivers found themselves in precarious situations. The first made national news after a driver accidentally climbed a hiking trail toward Mt. Lincoln, one of Colorado’s famous 14ers, in Park County. The white GMC Canyon truck got stuck in the alpine scree on its way to the 14,295-foot summit.
The second happened on Mosquito Pass where the driver of a red truck went off trail and rolled the vehicle down a mountain slope near hikers, who captured the incident on video. Both situations underscore a troubling trend in Colorado where the number of drivers who break the rules of the backcountry — deliberately or not — is on the rise.
“Illegal motorized use is probably our No. 1 recreational problem right now,” Voorhis said. “It’s only gotten worse over the last 10 years.”
Part of what experts believe is driving this trend is simple math. Off-roading and overlanding — which is backcountry car camping, essentially — exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as people turned to the outdoors as an alternative to other types of recreation. Couple that with advancements in automotive capabilities that allow cars and trucks to handle more rugged terrain, and the ease of accessibility to trails around Colorado, and many drivers take off for an adventure without being adequately prepared for the challenges of the backcountry.
“When you’re spending $100,000 at the Land Rover dealership and the salesman tells you this thing will go anywhere, you kind of believe him even though you don’t know how to drive everywhere,” said Brian O’Connors, a board member with Colorado Four Wheel Drive Association, which promotes fellowship and stewardship among 4×4 enthusiasts.
“The vehicle’s capabilities are one thing, yours are another.”
Complicating matters further is misinformation on social media and third-party apps that can lead some drivers astray.
That was part of the circumstances involved in another high-profile driving incident in mid-August on Black Bear Pass, a bucket-list alpine drive above Telluride. On Aug. 14, a red Toyota 4Runner slid off the narrow road into scree where it got stuck.
The instance probably wouldn’t have garnered much attention, except that the pass was technically closed and San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters publicly shamed the “ass clowns” – his words – on social media who tried to traverse it.
Officials believe that prior to the incident, a separate group of motorists drove up to the pass and dug out the deep snow obstructing the trail, then posted on social media that Black Bear Pass was open. Word traveled fast through the off-roading community; about a dozen other vehicles were following the 4Runner when it ended up blocking the road.
In actuality, however, county officials had not made sure the pass was safe to drive this season. Black Bear Pass remains closed since it still needs mitigation for rocks and potential avalanches, per the sheriff’s office.
“There’s a difference between a trail physically being open and administratively open by the county,” said Jeff Tyson, director of dispatch at Colorado 4×4 Rescue and Recovery, a nonprofit that retrieves people and vehicles from hazardous situations.
The organization handles roughly 300 rescue missions per year, mostly during the winter, and it provides its services for free so people do not hesitate to call when they need help. (Rescues on forest service lands, specifically, also require a special permit.) Tyson said this summer has been comparable to the last two he’s worked for Colorado 4×4, but every instance of bad behavior doesn’t result in a stuck vehicle.
Illegal backcountry driving is punishable with civil and criminal penalties even though it doesn’t always result in those consequences. San Miguel County Sheriff Masters, for one, didn’t issue a citation to the driver who got stuck on Black Bear Pass or those who followed.
“We believe the drivers learned their lesson without charges,” he said in a statement.
That doesn’t mean a free ride. Telluride Towing owner Stewart Armstrong, who maneuvered the 4Runner back to safety, charges $360 to $500 an hour for recoveries depending on the location and equipment necessary to complete to job. He spends at least three hours on any given recovery, but sometimes it takes eight to 10 hours.
When people wince at the price, Armstrong reminds them that he’s putting his own life in jeopardy with every tow. “The worst thing that can happen is I go over an edge,” Armstrong said by phone while on his way to recover a vehicle from Imogene Pass, a well-known, but challenging 4×4 road between Telluride and Ouray. “It’s a difficult and dangerous job.”
The driver on Mt. Lincoln was cited, however, for having a vehicle off a designated route, Voorhis said. Forest service fines vary by the offense and jurisdiction, maxing out at $5,000 and six months in jail. Drivers may also be liable for the cost of repairing damage to the landscape.
Charlie Stubblefield, president of Mountain Recovery, expanded the scope of his business from towing along the Interstate 70 corridor near Silverthorne to backcountry rescues in response to demand for the service.
The cost of retrieving the truck near the top of Mt. Lincoln set the driver back $3,500, Stubblefield said, on top of the fine.
Still, remediating the damage and educating drivers on the rules of the mountain roads falls to Voorhis’ team, which manages about half a million acres of backcountry. “A lot of our recreational budget now goes to working to prevent illegal motorized (use). So that means there’s less money for trails, less money for campgrounds, and less money for other things,” he said.
Marcus Trusty, founder and president of trail stewardship organization CORE, said most people who get caught in an unexpected situation are simply uneducated about what they’re getting themselves into. He estimates 60% of drivers obey rules, about 30% are ignorant of backcountry etiquette, and 10% fall into the “negative users” category.
“We try and educate the 30% of people that don’t know the rules. And then we try to mitigate issues or repair stuff or deal with 10%,” Trusty said. “The problem (that) arises is that tourism increases, so your 10% of people is always a larger number then, right? And even your 30% of people that don’t know right or wrong or otherwise.”
To deter reckless driving, other states like Arizona and Florida have enacted so-called “Stupid Motorist Laws,” which shift the liability and cost of any recovery made during floods to the driver.
According to Stubblefield, Colorado officials are considering similar solutions — though not enacted by law — such as charging the cost of recovery to car and snowmobile rental companies. Remote snowmobile recoveries are commonplace in the winter, he said.
“Over time, they get enough $3,500 bills, they’re probably going to make sure people renting vehicles are more equipped to go into the backcountry,” he said.
Unseemly behavior isn’t limited to drivers, though these cases tend to get more attention because of the dangers associated with high-elevation off-roading.
In one recent case, a local journalist admitted to trespassing on private land to summit Mt. Bross – part of the popular DeCaLiBron Loop that hits multiple 14ers – sparking backlash among outdoors advocates. There’s also the ongoing troubles of Colorado snowmobiler David Lesh, who publishes backcountry stunts on social media, and the hikers — including one dressed as Pikachu — who violate rules at the popular Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon.
Examples of bad behavior extend beyond the backcountry, too. During leaf-peeping season, visitors to Golden Gate State Park, just 30 miles from Denver, often park their cars in prohibited pull-out areas and roadsides killing vegetation. Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials recently found the invasive rusty crayfish in Lake Granby, which they believe anglers illegally used as bait.
While organizations like CORE and agencies like the forest service work to spread the gospel of responsible and respectful recreation, it’s ultimately up to people using public lands to act accordingly.
Experts recommend using official Motor Vehicle Use Maps to understand where they are legally permitted to drive. Voorhis said the app Avenza uses accurate maps. The app CO Trex, which was built by officials in Colorado, also stays up to date with road openings and closures.
They also suggest becoming familiar with Stay the Trail and Leave No Trace principles to ensure the backcountry remains open for generations of outdoor recreation enthusiasts to come.
“The bad behavior’s not any one user group specific, it’s just a human thing we have to work on together,” Trusty said.
UPDATE on Oct. 2 at 9:42 a.m.: A previous version of this story erroneously said Jeff Tyson worked for Colorado 4×4 Rescue and Recovery for 20 years. He has worked there since 2020.
