There have been many changes in the ownership of Indian Mountain lots during the past several years. New property owners may not be familiar with Indian Mountain's major physical and land-ownership features, the responsibilities of and services offered by each of its two supporting organizations, and of some of the basic rules and regulations adopted to assure that Indian Mountain remains a premier mountain Subdivision. This article attempts to summarize this information for newcomers.

Indian Mountain Land and Water - The Indian Mountain Subdivision consists of approximately 6,200 acres of private land subdivided into about 2,500 lots. Property owners, some of whom own several lots, number about 2,000. The Subdivision was established in the 1970s by a commercial land developer. It shares borders with Pike National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and State lands; and with the Buffalo, Stage Stop, and Elkhorn Subdivisions. The only direct vehicular access to Pike National Forest from Indian Mountain is from Longbow Drive, not far from the Lodge and the junction with Chief Trail. The land elevations in Indian Mountain range from a low of 9,200 feet above sea level along its northernmost boundary near Tarryall Creek to 10,368 feet at the peak of Indian Mountain, which is one of the highest points in South Park.

Within Indian Mountain, nearly all subdivided lots are zoned "residential”; a few are designated as "out lots”. Out lots were reserved by the developer for special purposes. No lots are zoned for commercial use. The Indian Mountain Plan of (water) Augmentation, approved by the State Water Court when the subdivision was established, assures a well permit, but not a water right, for each residential lot for its in-house, domestic use. Other uses of water from permitted, domestic wells, such as stock watering, are violations of Colorado law.

Several Lots within Indian Mountain were originally zoned for duplexes, triplexes or multi-family housing, and remain zoned that way today, although many of them now have single-family residences and no multi-family housing has yet been constructed on those Lots.

The unplatted land within the Indian Mountain Subdivision includes about 270 acres owned by the Indian Mountain Recreation and Park District, commonly called the Rec District. The Rec District tract was originally known as "the ski area,” but it is now know as the Indian Mountain Park. Motorized vehicles, firearms, and alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the Park. This tract contains a Lodge, comfort station, picnic pavilion, playground, nature trails, and Frisbee golf facilities.

About three miles outside the subdivision from the Elkhorn/Albino Road entrance, the Rec District owns about 86 acres of land within the Sportsmen’s Ranch. Within that Rec District property are a Recreation Hall and a large fenced area where Indian Mountain property owners may store RVs, at no cost, but at the owners’ risk. (See below for more details on RV storage.) Also within the Rec District’s 86-acre tract is a golf course. The golf course was constructed many years ago by the developer as a conventional, 9-hole course and has recently been reactivated as "pasture" golf. The 86 acres is also home to a waste-wood burning pit where forest litter (slash) may be deposited and is periodically burned by the Jefferson-Como Fire District. The burn pit is for the exclusive use of property owners in Indian Mountain, Elkhorn, Stagestop, and Buffalo Subdivisions. It is intended to facilitate wildfire mitigation efforts in those Subdivisions. The Rec Hall, RV storage area, and burn pit are about 1/4 mile south of and visible from Albino Road and about 3/4 mile SE of Fire Station 5.

There are about 218 miles of roads in Indian Mountain, all of which are the responsibility of Park County for snow removal, grading, and general upkeep. County responsibility for the roads accounts for the requirement that a property owner planning a driveway must obtain a permit from the County before joining the driveway to any road in Indian Mountain. Being public roads, all vehicles using the roads must be licensed and must be operated by licensed drivers. No unlicensed All Terrain Vehicles or snowmobiles are allowed to be driven on those roads, nor are they allowed on property owned by the Recreation District. One activity of IMPOA is a cooperative effort with Park County wherein IMPOA buys street identification signs for roads in the Subdivision, and the County installs the signs.

Volunteer Opportunities - Indian Mountain depends upon the services of unpaid volunteers. If you want to help, please contact Glenn Haas glennehaas@comcast.net. He will guide you to the right people to find a suitable opportunity with either the Rec District or IMPOA.