Peak access: $100 a pop
Rocky Mountain News
Published July 17, 2006 at midnight
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A man who owns mining claims on Wilson Peak and surrounding areas says he's charging $100 per hiker for each trip to the top of the peak, a 14,017-foot mountain in the San Juan range of southwest Colorado.
Rusty Nichols launched a web site announcing the access charge, and a U.S. Forest Service ranger said Nichols has the right to do it because he owns the land, the Telluride Daily Planet reported.
The easiest route to the top of Wilson Peak crosses a parcel owned by Nichols. There are other routes, but they are longer and more difficult.
Nichols' web site says liability, insurance costs and road
maintenance leave him no option.
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