Colorado’s “fourteeners” — peaks topping 14,000 feet — are the crown jewels of the Colorado Rockies. The state boasts over 50 of these incredible mountains, which are tourism magnets for visitors from all over the country eager to take advantage of the hiking and other recreation opportunities they offer.

Coloradans are justifiably proud of these special peaks, but in recent years public access to them has been threatened. Privately-owned fourteeners were being partially or totally closed to hikers because of the risk of legal liability, preventing visitors from accessing some of nature’s most impressive wonders and costing local communities the business these visitors bring.

The Conservation Fund stepped in to reconnect Coloradans with an important piece of their natural heritage, securing nearly 300 acres on Mount Democrat, a fourteener in the Mosquito Range about 100 miles west of Denver. Thanks to funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, Park County and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, TCF was able to transfer the property to the USDA Forest Service, adding it to the Pike-San Isabel National Forests for permanent conservation.

A Plethora of Benefits

Protecting Mount Democrat conserves a critically important alpine forest area, habitat for several threatened species, and river headwaters that are vital for providing clean drinking water to communities downstream. Even more important, though, the property gives the public access to Mount Democrat, while connecting other mountains in the range with a trailhead that leads to all the DeCaLiBron peaks (Mounts Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross).

Our work on Mount Democrat shows what can happen when partners come together to conserve land for nature and people, ensuring Coloradans and all visitors will be able to enjoy the mountain majesties today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

Learn More

• News: “Climbing Colorado’s ‘Fourteeners’ Sometimes Means Trespassing. This Group Has a Solution.“
• News: “One of Colorado’s disputed 14ers has been sold, ensuring public access to the popular peak“
• News: “The Conservation Fund Solves Colorado “Fourteener” Closure by Securing Land and Permanent Public Access for Mount Democrat“