Guanella Pass Is Handing Out Parking Tickets Like Candy This Summer — Here’s How Not to Get One

If you’re heading up Guanella Pass for a hike or a scenic drive this summer, maybe spend 90 seconds figuring out where you’re going to park. Because Clear Creek County deputies are out there, they have ticket books, and they are absolutely using them.

What’s Going On Up There

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office announced this past weekend that deputies have been writing — and this is a direct quote — “a LOT” of parking tickets along Guanella Pass Road and surrounding areas, including the Naylor Lake parking area, over the past several weekends. Each ticket starts at $87.50, and if you manage to rack up multiple violations at once, congratulations, the fine goes up from there.

This isn’t a new thing, either. The crackdown is a continuation of an enforcement push that started last summer, when deputies towed 12 illegally parked vehicles in a single day. Twelve. In one day. And yet, here we are again.

This year, Guanella Pass opened earlier than usual — April 16, thanks to low snowpack — which just means the hiking season, and apparently the parking chaos, got an early start.

Why This Actually Matters (It’s Not Just About the Ticket)

Guanella Pass Road is narrow and winding. When people start parking on both sides of the road, in the travel lane, or on the shoulder where it’s not permitted, that two-lane mountain road turns into one lane pretty fast. And when that happens, it doesn’t just create a bottleneck of annoyed drivers — it can physically prevent ambulances, fire trucks, and search-and-rescue crews from getting to someone who needs help.

Clear Creek County Commissioner George Marlin said it pretty plainly last year: “Even when you have a sign every 50 feet, it can be difficult to get people to understand that we’re serious about the safety of that road.”

Fifty feet. There are signs every 50 feet, people.

The Rules: Clear Creek County Ordinance No. 14

Here’s what Clear Creek County’s parking ordinance actually says for Guanella Pass Road and its rights-of-way:

• Park only in designated areas. That means official lots, pull-offs with green “Parking” signs, or pull-offs that aren’t posted “No Parking.”
• No parking within a half-mile of the summit — in either direction. Just keep driving.
• Your entire vehicle must be off the pavement. All four tires. Fully off the road surface. Not mostly off. All the way off.
• Park facing the direction of travel. Yes, deputies are writing tickets for this. Don’t pull a U-turn to grab a spot on the other side of the road.
• Don’t park on both sides of the road. Even if a bunch of other cars are doing it. Especially if a bunch of other cars are doing it.

What It’s Going to Cost You

• $87.50 for parking in a posted “No Parking” zone.
• $87.50 if any part of your car is on or in the roadway.
• More than $87.50 if you stack violations — say, parked in a no-parking zone and facing the wrong direction. Fines add up.
• A tow bill if you park in the actual lane of traffic. Your expense, not theirs.

Worth noting: if you venture south of the summit into Park County toward Grant, they enforce improper parking violations too — but at $35 a citation. Cheaper, technically, but still not free.

How to Actually Park Up There Without Ruining Your Day

Get there early. Trailhead lots — including the ones near Mount Bierstadt — fill up well before 6 a.m. on summer weekends and holidays. That’s not a typo.

Look for the green signs. Green “Parking” sign on a pull-off? You’re good. “No Parking” sign, or no sign at all within a half-mile of the summit? Keep moving.

All four tires off the pavement. We’ve been over this, but it bears repeating.

Face the direction of travel. It takes three extra minutes to find a better spot. The ticket costs $87.50.

Have a Plan B. The sheriff’s office literally said this: “If designated parking is full and parking legally is not possible, then you need to go to your Plan B. Which may mean waiting out the crowd in Georgetown or another Clear Creek community, or recreating elsewhere in the county.” They’re not being subtle.

Don’t follow the crowd. Deputies say the most common excuse they hear from ticketed drivers is “everyone else was doing it.” Hard to say this gently — that’s not how it works.

When the Lots Are Full (And They Will Be)

Kill time in Georgetown. The historic downtown is genuinely charming — coffee shops, restaurants, things to look at. Hikers typically start trickling back to the trailhead by late morning, freeing up spots.

Pick a different trail. Clear Creek County has plenty of other options that aren’t crawling with people on a Saturday in July.

Go on a weekday. If you can swing it, weekday mornings on Guanella Pass are a completely different experience. Open parking, fewer humans, quieter everything.

Bottom Line

The views on Guanella Pass are legitimately great. An $87.50 parking ticket — or a tow — is a terrible souvenir. Clear Creek County has signs, enforcement, and a very clear public message: they’re not letting this slide all summer. Know the rules before you go, plan for full lots, and leave the road clear so that if something goes sideways on the mountain, the people who need to get through actually can.