Fourteener climbers can finally summit Mount Lindsey, a majestic peak 10 miles southeast of Great Sand Dunes National Park, but only if they sign a waiver of liability.

The mountain, in the Sangre de Cristo Range, is located on Trinchera Ranch, private property owned by conservationist Louis Bacon. He, along with many other private property owners in Colorado, took their land off limits to the public in 2021 after a $7 million liability judgment against the Air Force Academy, brought by an injured cyclist. The landowners didn’t want to be held liable for any similar injuries that might occur on their property.

A spokesman for the ranch said there weren’t any “No Trespassing” signs on the mountain until after the court ruling.

But in 2024, the Colorado legislature adopted an amendment to a measure called the Colorado Recreational Use Statute which provided a liability shield for landowners who grant access to their land for recreation.

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) announced the Mount Lindsey development on its Facebook page. “Getting to this point involved CFI working as part of the Fix CRUS Coalition to get Colorado’s Recreational Use Statute changed last year,” the post stated.

Read more at DenverPost.com