Ouray County has decided against closing the upper section of Yankee Boy Basin road to motorized traffic, and will work with the U.S. Forest Service and volunteer groups to keep drivers on the main road and mitigate damage to the tundra.

A commissioners’ work session on the topic last week also raised the question of whether the county would consider banning off-highway vehicles like sideby- sides on its roads entirely.

The April 15 work session, which lasted for more than three hours and drew around 30 attendees to the 4-H Event Center, followed a flurry of public comments opposing the closure proposal, most from OHV users and groups outside Ouray County.

Ouray resident Jenny Hart initially approached commissioners in 2024 with the idea to close a mile-long stretch of Yankee Boy Basin road near Wright’s Lake Trail to vehicles, due to concerns about OHV users who create informal roads, damaging the tundra. Commissioners initially discussed the option of a temporary 90-day closure to limit motorized traffic on the upper road section.

At the start of last week’s work session, Commissioner Jake Niece acknowledged that county leaders have since heard public feedback on the idea and learned of other alternatives to a temporary closure on that road section.

“This board has a really strong track record of protecting public access to public lands,” Niece said.

The county also learned the Forest Service — which also claims ownership of the road and jointly manages it under an agreement with the county — is not in favor of a closure. They ultimately agreed to distinguish the main road from the informal roads and work to restore damaged areas and mitigate further impacts.

Closure off the table

During the April 15 work session, Ouray District Ranger Dana Gardunio said the Forest Service has specific rules around closures and described them as a last resort.

The group discussed the possibility of installing a gate or other removable barricades to temporarily keep motorized traffic off the upper section of the road.

Gardunio said motorized traffic is allowed in the area under the travel management plan for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests.

She said the Forest Service is not currently considering changes to that plan.

If seasonal or temporary closures of the road are allowed in that plan, they would need to be tied to a specific purpose, like restoration work, she said.

“I use those as little as I can, and only when absolutely necessary,” Gardunio said about temporary closures.

The group also discussed closing the road until the snow melts, or clearing snow banks, which often blanket the established road and lead drivers to go off-road.

Gardunio said the Forest Service would still need to identify a specific reason supported by data for that type of closure, which would require a “special closure order” reviewed at the federal level.

Ouray County Sheriff Justin Perry called improvements to the road a double-edged sword, saying better conditions might actually encourage more traffic.

Alternatives

With the proposed closure off the table, the group focused on ways to restore affected areas and prevent more damage with the offered help of user and volunteer groups.

Throughout the work session, county leaders shared aerial Google Earth images of scars on fragile alpine tundra created by informal roads braided throughout the main Yankee Boy Basin road. Commissioner Lynn Padgett also said the damage has caused issues with drainage on the road.

The group agreed on a starting point: deciding the boundaries of the main road in partnership with the Forest Service.

The next step is to discuss plans for restoration work and other strategies, such as using boulders and signs, to keep people on the main road with the help of user and volunteer groups. The county will also need to pursue permits for doing work along the road, because of private mining claims throughout the area.

For now, Perry said the sheriff’s office is restarting its backcountry alpine ranger program, with more rangers and more hours, which will bring enforcement and education to the area as soon as May.

Scott Powers, president of Western Slope 4 Wheelers, an OHV advocacy group that offered to help manage impacts in the area, said he and others would be willing to help shovel snow off the main road to encourage drivers to stay on it and reduce impacts in the area in the meantime.

OHVs emerge as bigger issue

A large group of local residents at the meeting used the discussion as a launching pad for scores of general concerns about OHVs in the high country, and some asked the county to consider banning them on all county roads. Commenters specifically voiced concern about newer OHVs — like Polaris RZR all-terrain vehicles.

Similar policies have been implemented in the city of Aspen and Pitkin County.

The public’s concerns included noise and dust pollution from the vehicles and disruption to the tranquility and enjoyment of the area.

Michael Dunphy, a driver for San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours, said he can hear the sound of OHVs on top of Mount Sneffels.

“Yankee Boy has turned into an urban area,” he said.

Dianne Eschman, a Ridgway resident, said OHV users have scared off wildlife that used to frequent the area.

“There were no marmots, there were no pikas, there were no bighorn sheep,” she said of her most recent visit to Yankee Boy Basin.

Another Ridgway resident, Alex Menard, said he moved from Marble because of how off-highway vehicles had impacted the town.

Niece asked County Attorney Leo Caselli to begin researching what policies would be possible.

“I don’t think we’re promising work sessions or action right now about banning non-street legal vehicles, but I don’t mind asking Leo just to do some research on that, to see what options are out there,” Niece said.

Perry warned the group that the idea will likely start a big conversation.

“This is not the entire county and the entire opinion of the county,” Perry told the group.

“There is a very strong group of OHV owners within this community … we have to look at the big picture and really prepare for those work sessions, because there’s going to be a lot of emotions as those topics come out,” he said.

Lia Salvatierra is a journalist with Report for America, a service program that helps boost underserved areas with more reporting resources.