Liability concerns lead to shutdown of some Colorado 14ers

By JASON BLEVINS
The Colorado Sun

DENVER (AP) — The ramifications of a lawsuit that ended with the U.S. government paying an injured mountain biker several million dollars after a crash on a washed-out trail continue to challenge Colorado fourteener hikers. The Colorado Sun reports the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2019 that the Air Force Academy knew about a washed-out section of the paved bike trail on its property but failed to give proper warning. Many private landowners are now worried about lawsuits filed by people who traverse their land on foot, bike or boat. There are at least eight peaks in Colorado where hikers traverse private land to reach summits above 14,000 feet.