Cross off another idea for your Memorial Day plans.

Because of overcrowding amid COVID-19 concerns, the city of Lakewood is closing the swim beach and marina at Big Soda Lake in Bear Creek Lake Park beginning Saturday. The closure will be re-evaluated after Memorial Day, according to a news release.

“The health and safety of our staff and visitors is a top priority at Bear Creek Lake Park,” said regional park supervisor Drew Sprafke. “We are experiencing mid-summer crowds in early May, causing public safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Parking lots and trail access to the lake will be barricaded. Park rangers will patrol the closures, first to educate and then to enforce as needed. Violators will be subject to citations.

The park remains open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and has been extraordinarily busy with swarms of cyclists, runners, hikers and anglers during the pandemic. Picnic shelters, playgrounds and the campground are closed.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

Related Articles

• Colorado governor says you still shouldn’t go to the mountains during new “safer at home” phase
• Crowded trails force Jeffco Sheriff to step up enforcement of “physical distancing”
• FAQs: How the governor’s stay-at-home order applies to outdoor recreation
• Steamboat rafters return to a different world after 3-week raft trip
• Why some Colorado state parks are staffing gate entrances again

Source: Read Full Article