Four trails at Sky Mountain Park will close for the fourth rifle season, Nov. 24-28, while an elk hunt occurs on a portion of the park.
Cozyline, Airline, Skyline Ridge and Ditchline trails will all be closed to public use during the hunt for safety reasons. Closure signs will be posted. Highline, Lowline, Viewline and the downhill-only Deadline Trail will remain open.
Five hunters are chosen each spring through a lottery. The hunt is limited to cow elk and takes place on about 1,200 acres in the heart of Sky Mountain Park – an area that stretches between Snowmass Village and Highway 82, between the Brush Creek and Owl Creek valleys.
The management plan for Sky Mountain Park makes a provision for limited hunting to assist Colorado Parks and Wildlife in managing the elk herd in Game Management Unit 43. The hunt also increases elk movement and prevents a refuge effect in the park could negatively impact the habitat through overuse and intensive browsing. Last year, two elk were harvested during the hunt. Find out more about the hunt at https://www.pitkinoutside.org/ecofinder/learn
Most of Sky Mountain Park closes to all public use for the winter, starting Dec. 1, to protect wintering wildlife. The winter closure extends through May 15; the park reopens on May 16.
Contact: Gary Tennenbaum | Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Director | gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5355