A scenic viewpoint in Colorado has been forced to close at night as rising crime and after-dark parties stoke fear among residents.
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to close Lookout Mountain Road overnight Tuesday evening, commissioners reported CBS News Colorado.
Police responded to 879 calls for service in the Lookout Mountain area last year and have already responded to more than 204 in 2024, according to data from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Golden Police Department.
These include calls about robberies, overdose deaths, assaults and suicides, while comembers of the community say they have noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and burglaries for years.
Gunfire also torments local residents, with bullets raining down on driveways and roofs and even crashing through their windows.
Lookout Mountain Road, Colorado’s scenic overlook is forced to close at night due to rising crime and after-dark parties
Jefferson County commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan to close Lookout Mountain Road at night
Community members say they have noticed an increase in vandalism, litter and burglaries for years
Tom Primozich, a 30-year-old resident of the neighborhood, said he heard gunshots as he took his older dog to the bathroom late at night
Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years, told CBS News Colorado, “Alcohol, drugs, sex and the gunfire from time to time are ‘what’s going on here.’
“I think it’s a dangerous place at night,” he added.
Jefferson County Open Space spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonnell said in December, “We tried signage. If you’re going to patrol, it’s a fool’s errand. New people are coming in all the time.’
Lookout Mountain has beautiful views and popular biking and hiking trails, but frequent visitors said they have noticed how crowded it has become.
“If you drive, you can definitely see that this is a heavily trafficked area,” Meredith Britton said Denver7.
Local news stations show photos and videos of the road with broken locks, graffiti-covered buildings and alcohol bottles and beer cans littering the grass.
Sean Searley, who lives on Lookout Mountain Road, said: “It is not uncommon to hear racing after hours at night sometimes into the early morning hours.”
Bonnell said The Denver Post The litter that is often left behind consists of cannabis containers, hypodermic needles, underwear, bras, used condoms, fast food packaging, cigarette butts and bullet casings.
Jefferson County Open Space spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonnell said in December, “We tried signage. If you’re going to patrol, it’s a fool’s errand. There is a constant flow of new people coming in’
“Alcohol, drugs, sex and the gunfire from time to time is ‘what’s going on here,'” said Tom Pool, who has lived in the area for 35 years.
Police responded to 879 calls for service near Lookout Mountain last year and have already responded to more than 204 calls in 2024
Local news channels show photos and videos of the road with broken locks, graffiti-covered buildings and bottles of alcohol and beer cans littering the grass
“Based on the number of liquor bottles I find, I’m surprised more people aren’t hitting walls. People drink hard on the mountain,” she said.
Tom Primozich, a 30-year-old resident of the neighborhood, said he heard gunshots while walking his older dog to use the bathroom late at night.
‘Pow, pow, pow, pow – I heard a bullet whiz right over my roof. I should be able to come here and feel safe in my yard,” Primozich said.
“Ever since COVID, they’ve been talking on social media about shooting on the road. I think it almost ruined nature. I don’t see deer like I used to.”
Another neighbor complained to officers that two speeding cars had crashed into his wall one night and a bullet had crashed through his window, The Denver Post reported.
The proposed closure would cut off access from an approximately four-mile stretch of road near the bottom of the Chimney Gulch Trailhead to another road near the top of the mountain using electronic gates.
Law enforcement and first responders will still have road access, and pedestrian and bicycle paths will remain openaccording to Jefferson County Colorado Open space.
The proposed closure would cut off access from an approximately four-mile stretch of road near the bottom of the Chimney Gulch Trailhead to another road near the top of the mountain using electronic gates.
According to Jefferson County Colorado Open Space, law enforcement and first responders will still have access to the road and pedestrian and bicycle paths will remain open.
Lookout Mountain has beautiful views and popular biking and hiking trails, but frequent visitors said they have noticed how crowded it has become
There is no set date for completion of the project, but Bonnell said June 1 is a goal.
However, some residents worry about how they will get off the mountain in the event of a fire, and others warn it will only send crime into surrounding neighborhoods.
The bigger concern is that the police will have control of that part of the mountain and the spillover will only occur to other sides of it, outside the closed area,” Searley said.
Jacqueline Webster, who lives at the top of Lookout Mountain Road, said: “If they close that road now with barricades, the party goers will be forced back into the area.”