Fix CRUS Coalition — What We Accomplished
The Fix CRUS Coalition brought together a broad and diverse alliance—49 nonprofits, businesses, local and state governments, land trusts, and over 4,500 individual supporters—to tackle a growing threat to outdoor access in Colorado: weaknesses in the Colorado Recreational Use Statute (CRUS) that discouraged landowners from offering free public recreation
The Problem
A landmark 2019 lawsuit involving the U.S. Air Force Academy awarded nearly $7.3 million based on a failure-to-warn exception—dramatically increasing liability concerns for landowners across the state.
This legal uncertainty spurred closures of key routes and peaks—especially five Colorado 14ers—and placed iconic areas like Ouray Ice Park and the Leadville 100 race at risk.
CRUS, originally intended to encourage free public access by protecting landowners from liability, was instead backfiring—visitors found themselves trespassing on dangerous, unmarked terrain, with little maintenance and no guarantee of visitor safety.
Our Solution: SB-58
In response, the Coalition crafted and promoted SB‑58—landmark bipartisan legislation designed to fix CRUS and safeguard access to Colorado’s wild places.
Simplified Signage: Landowners placing a single, pre‑approved warning sign at the main access point gain stronger liability protection covering both natural and certain manmade hazards.
Designated Access Zones: Landowners define official access points and visitor routes. Any use outside of these becomes trespassing—reducing liability for them.
Updated Activity Coverage: SB‑58 modernizes the statute to include current recreational uses like rock and ice climbing, trail running, backcountry skiing, rafting, and kayaking.
Balanced Protections: The bill maintains essential limitations—landowners charging for access remain liable; they can still control activities permitted, and are not shielded for malicious harm
The bill passed through the state Senate unanimously (28–0) and moved to the House with strong momentum, and was signed into law by Governor Polis.
The Result
Thanks to this coalition’s leadership, all of the 14ers that were closed due to landowner liability concerns have reopened to the public for free access. Additionally, the coalition sponsored the purchase of over 50 safety warning signs with the new statute’s required language to distribute free to landowners who provide free recreation access and rely on CRUS protection. The signs were all gone within just a few weeks.
What Comes Next
Although the Fix CRUS Coalition has concluded its mission, The Next Summit remains committed to supporting implementation efforts—sharing signage resources, aiding landowners, and keeping the public informed.
Thank you to our core coalition members, including the Boulder Climbing Community, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, Colorado Mountain Club, Alpine Start, John Reiber, and the 49 member-organizations who helped us get across the finish line.
