No parking? No problem. The free shuttle service to the Hessie and Fourth of July Trailheads outside Eldora kicked off in late May, transporting hikers from their parked cars at Nederland Middle-Senior High School to the trails of Diamond Lake, Devil’s Thumb, Indian Peaks Wilderness, and more.

The shuttle service, run by Green Ride Charter Services, is currently on its second five-year contract with Boulder County. Their crew of drivers and coordinators arrive at Nederland Middle-Senior High School at 6 a.m. on weekends during the summer season.

Once the parking lot fills up at the Hessie Trailhead, the coordinators close Country Road 130 past the high school to commuting hikers and keep tabs on opening parking spots as the day goes on. If no spots are available, arriving hikers have the option to wait for an opening or use the shuttle.

This free transportation program began in 2012 when the trailhead parking lots began seeing increasing amounts of congestion from summertime hikers. Trial and error were certainly present in the shuttle’s early implementation. The initially designated parking lot, for example, was with the RTD’s Park & Ride in Nederland. This location caused intense gridlock as tourists, shuttles, buses, and residents would overwhelm the town’s main streets. Finally, the launching point was moved to the local high school, where both Eldora and Nederland finally saw some relief from traffic.

The number of visitors to the Hessie Trail has grown significantly in recent years. According to 2022’s Annual Visitation report from Boulder County Parks & Open Space, the area saw an increase of over 6,000 annual visitors in the last two years. During the 2022 summer season, Green Ride transported about 20,000 hikers to and from the trailhead, thus keeping visitors and residents out of headache-inducing traffic.

Ross Alexander owns and manages Green Ride Charter Services, a company that once specialized in airport transportation before switching to shuttling hikers. While it can be difficult coordinating drivers and battling the weather, Alexander considers this business significantly more fun than organizing rides to DIA. In Alexander’s experience, people were often stressed on their way to the airport.

“[The average airport rider’s attitude was] ‘Oh my god I’m going to be late’ or ‘Hurry up, I don’t wanna stop anywhere. Can you drive faster?’ ” said Alexander, “this is much better on the soul.”

Many residents of Eldora are grateful for the county’s decision to create the shuttle service. In the past, tourists would speed through town and clog the narrow, dirt roads up to the trailhead. After learning no more parking was available, cars either drove back through town or parked in illegal places.

Lynne Collins has lived in Eldora for 42 years and had first-hand experience with the old trailhead parking fiasco. Collins recalled a time when she found a car parked on her property and had to call the sheriff. Today Collins is quite content with the work done by Boulder County and Green Ride. She appreciates the shuttle drivers’ attention to traffic laws in town and the friendly coordinators.

“Everyone basically seems happy… People aren’t speeding anymore, at least not on weekends,” said Collins. “The people that can’t find a place to park, now that’s taken care of. They can park at the high school, ride the shuttle in. Everything works just fine.”

Alex Hyde-Wright, the regional multimodal planning division manager of Boulder Country’s Transportation division, coordinates with Green Ride, shuttle riders, and Eldora residents to ensure the program’s efficiency. According to data provided by Hyde- Wright the shuttle system was very well received by riders, in 2022 the overall shuttle experience was rated 3.92 out of 4 by surveyed 371 riders.

Like many other outdoor recreational sites in Colorado, Boulder County is considering the implementation of a timed-entry system to access the Hessie and Fourth of July Trailheads. According to Hyde-Wright, a timed-entry system would be better for the long term.

“Our current practice of managing the parking at the Hessie and 4th of July Trailheads is working but it requires a lot of staff to implement,” said Hyde-Wright.

A timed-entry system has not yet been confirmed by Boulder County, but the earliest implementation would take place during the 2024 summer season.

Catch the shuttle to the Hessie and Fourth of July Trailhead on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at Nederland Middle-Senior High School this summer. For more information on the free Hessie shuttle service, please go to Boulder County’s website at https:// bouldercounty.gov/open-space/parksand trails/hessie-trailhead/.