Top 5 most-read stories last week

Stories in this list received the most page views on aspentimes.com from March 9 – March 16:

1. Pitkin County opens up rare Sky Mountain hunting lottery for 13th year

Pitkin County has opened its Sky Mountain elk hunt lottery for the 2026 season, the 13th year of the program. 

County code prohibits hunting on county-owned land which makes the lottery a rare opportunity to hunt a zone that is not open to other hunters. The hunt will take place during the fourth rifle season from Nov. 18 through Nov. 22, at which point the park will be closed to most public access.

“The limited hunt at Sky Mountain Park supports both ecological stewardship and public access,” Liza Mitchell, natural resource manager with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, said in a press release announcing this year’s lottery. “Carefully managed hunting helps distribute elk across the landscape and reduces habitat impacts associated with concentrated herd activity.”

— Colin Suszynski 

2. Redstone residents concerned with Penny Hot Springs overuse

On March 8, Owner of Redstone Mountain Mercantile David Johnson counted 34 cars at the Penny Hot Springs parking lot.

While the current parking lot should only accommodate approximately 21 vehicles, according to Communications & Outreach Specialist for Pitkin County Open Space & Trails Jami McMannes, overuse of the area and the pullout has become a common occurrence.

“Since the pandemic, it’s only gotten worse,” said Nathan Helfenbein, vice president of Redstone Community Association. “Seeing it now is really troubling and challenging.”

— River Stingray 

3. Colorado ski towns see ‘strong’ decline in spring break bookings due to low-snowfall season, market study shows

Fewer families are booking spring break vacations to Colorado resort destinations, as weaker-than-normal ski conditions cause drops in reservations made later in the year. Amid the potential for a lower-revenue spring break tourism season, some Western Slope ski towns are focusing on promoting off-mountain activities for families.

For most resort towns across Colorado’s western mountains, spring break is a strong period for tourism. Travelers from both in and out of state book trips to the mountains in hopes of hitting the slopes before the end of ski season, and businesses organize seasonal events to draw in visitors.

This year’s near historically dry conditions, however, have meant fewer winter bookings to Colorado’s resort destinations — and spring break bookings are seeing the impacts.

— Andrea Teres-Martinez 

4. Aspen’s Silver Queen Gondola closed due to wind

The Silver Queen Gondola on Aspen Mountain has closed for the day due to wind, according to Aspen Snowmass.

The Aspen Snowmass event scheduled for this evening at 5 p.m. celebrating local legend and Olympic gold medalist Alex Ferreira will be moved from the top of Aspen Mountain to the Gondola Plaza.

The Sunset Skiing on Aspen Mountain will be rescheduled.

— River Stingray 

5. Colorado Parks and Wildlife approves, denies first wolf damage claims from 2025, with costs expected to rise

At its March meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approved over $700,000 in compensation to six ranchers who saw losses related to gray wolves as the agency makes its way through claims that could reach over $1 million from wolf-livestock conflict last year. 

The amount approved is around double the annual allocation that the agency receives from the state to pay ranchers for wolf-related losses.

“There’s been a lot of speculation related to the amount of wolf damage claims to be paid out for last year, and I want to reiterate that CPW does have the funds to pay for wolf damage claims, and our team has been hard at work reviewing the claims submitted,” said Laura Clellan, in her first meeting as the permanent director of Parks and Wildlife. 

— Ali Longwell