The new owners of Royal Gorge have decided to remove the berms from the trails surrounding Serene Lakes. In addition, a number of the "Private Property" signs around the Ice Lakes Lodge have recently been removed. Here's the message we received from Joann Hamick a few days ago:

Royal Gorge Removes Some Trail Berms

Royal Gorge has received comments and had conversations with Donner Summit residents who are concerned about the berming of Royal Gorge x-country trails at the end of the ski season.

Berms are created at the entrance to the trails to prevent access. This is done to discourage snowmobilers, but it also has prevented access by cross country skiers, snow shoers and hikers headed for public areas like Point Mariah.

As of Thursday, May 4, Royal Gorge has removed berms to enable non-motorized access to the trailhead at Ice Lakes Lodge, with access to portions of Reindeer, Tiny Tim, Sterling Canyon, Bogus Basin, Razor Back (to Lola’s Lookout) and Claim Jumper.

We are hopeful that damage by motorized vehicles can be prevented. If you are a nearby homeowner, we would greatly appreciate your watching over the trails and contacting Royal Gorge if you see any motorized vehicles on the trails.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted royalgorgefuture.com about a range of issues and we will continue to try to address your concerns.

Todd Foster and Kirk Syme, Royal Gorge’s new owners