Updated June 2006
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 Metropolitan 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.
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