Use of Drones at Colorado State Parks

[MavicMo]

Some good and interesting points in this thread. I've been to some the National Parks and they are beautiful. There is/are definitely things you see inside the park that are totally unique to that park. BUT I've also ridden around alot of places on my ADV motorcycle that are not National Parks and are just as gorgeous. I think you just have to be a bit of an explorer and willing to go off the beaten path to find those types of places. And they really aren't all that hard to find or that far off the beaten path...

I also think things like El Cap in Yosemite has been photographed a million times. Sure it'd be cool to use your own equipment to capture it maybe in a slightly different way, but there are plenty of pics/videos already out there. (I use that as an example and am being a bit facetious as I would love to be able to use my own equipment to capture things like that).

I'm not saying I completely agree with all the rules regarding UASs and where we can and can't fly, I know that even if I believe I'm in the right and am written up for flying where they believe I shouldn't, I'm going to have a huge uphill battle with "agencies" that I don't have the time or finances to fight in court or otherwise. So for me I'll abide by the rules and look for alternate locales...

 

[Rudiger]

Here is the video -

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By the way there is a model aircraft aerodrome at Chatfield State Park.

Sent from my XT1585 using MavicPilots mobile app

This same guy recently posted a video flying at Chatfield. If all Colorado state parks are off limit (as MavicMo says) then he might be in trouble again.

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[RC5728]

I had the same question and found the section that refers to the Colorado Revised Statues. As you stated, they only address manned aircraft.

However, I recently watched a video of a guy flying his Mavic at Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge and got a $200 ticket delivered to his house by a Ranger (sorry I tried to find the site but no luck). Since it is now State Parks and Wildlife I would assume they are using the same rules.

Seems to me he might have some legal recourse to get the charge dropped. It would be nice to have some clarification on this issue.

That's a national area, not state.

Still dumb that he got ticketed, though.

 

[RC5728]

Something people should keep in mind is that even if you don't see wildlife being disturbed, doesn't mean you aren't disturbing wildlife

Sorry, that's really stupid.

The animals in that video were totally fine.

I find it amazing that even drone owners sometimes can't be rational about this completely harmless activity.

 

[RC5728]

OP:

I've flown in plenty of Colorado state parks and the only time I was asked to stop was at Maroon Bells (technically not a state park but very well known area to take photos).

But even in that case, the rangers were friendly and did not try to give me a ticket.

At most CO state parks I don't think you will run into any issues as long as you don't go out of your way to disturb people or animals.

National Park areas are different though.

 

[WillT]

This same guy recently posted a video flying at Chatfield. If all Colorado state parks are off limit (as MavicMo says) then he might be in trouble again.

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Yeah, but as mentioned earlier, Chattfield is ok as there is a sanctioned model aircraft aerodrome there.

BTW, I found this list of Denver metro area spots from a HiveMapper blog which has some cool spots:

Top 10 Places to Fly a Drone in Denver – The Official Hivemapper Blog

Will

 

[Rudiger]

Yeah, but as mentioned earlier, Chattfield is ok as there is a sanctioned model aircraft aerodrome there.

BTW, I found this list of Denver metro area spots from a HiveMapper blog which has some cool spots:

Top 10 Places to Fly a Drone in Denver – The Official Hivemapper Blog

Will

Nowhere does it say that all of Chatfield is ok because there is a sanctioned model aircraft aerodrome there. The state regulations say "except in designated areas." and the website for the field has a map with the boundaries.
Flying Field | Jeffco Aeromod'lers

Don't get me wrong, I think it's stupid that cars and powerboats are allowed places that drones are not. I think it really comes down to the attitude of the park ranger, and I've yet to hear about anyone actually getting in trouble for flying at Chatfield or the nearby Hildebrand ranch park (which is off limits per Jeffco Open space rules)

 

[WillT]

Nowhere does it say that all of Chatfield is ok because there is a sanctioned model aircraft aerodrome there. The state regulations say "except in designated areas." and the website for the field has a map with the boundaries.
Flying Field | Jeffco Aeromod'lers

Yeah, you're right - even in the rules section they have this:

PRIMARY RULE- EXCEPT FOR LANDINGS AND TAKEOFFS, ALL FLYING MUST TAKE PLACE IN FRONT OF THE LINE FORMED BY THE FAR EDGE OF THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, EXTENDED TO INFINITY IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. NOTE: THERE ARE CAMPGROUNDS TO THE NORTH AND WEST WITHIN ¼ MILE. DO NOT FLY NORTH OF THE PINE TREE ROW OR WEST OF THE 3 WHITE MARKER SIGNS!

Since the reservoir is to the north and west of the aerodrome, beyond the campgrounds, over-water flight seems explicitly excluded.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's stupid that cars and powerboats are allowed places that drones are not. I think it really comes down to the attitude of the park ranger, and I've yet to hear about anyone actually getting in trouble for flying at Chatfield or the nearby Hildebrand ranch park (which is off limits per Jeffco Open space rules)

Yeah, many of the stories in this thread back that up - depends on the ranger(s). At first I found it annoying that I had to go to a fliers club website to find boundary info rather than get the "official" rules from a state resource, but now that I think about it, it's probably better that it's not explicitly documented by the state so that rangers can have wide latitude. If no one is complaining and a ranger doesn't have a boundaries map... eh... enjoy your flight.

Will

 

[sandy.vb]

I've flown in plenty of Colorado state parks and the only time I was asked to stop was at Maroon Bells (technically not a state park but very well known area to take photos).

What reason did they offer you? If Maroon Bells falls under US Forest Service, they don't ban the use of recreational drones as long as you abide by FAA and State guidelines. If they stop you from using the drone, they have to be able to point you to the exact piece of legislation that prohibits the use of drones in that area. I'm curious to know, since Maroon Bells is particularly high on my drone destination list.

 

[Hauptmann]

I don't know how that guy got busted either. If it were me, I'd have fought it. Flying a drone or a model airplane in "banned" area is a misdemeanor. In order to cite (which is a form of arrest) someone for committing a misdemeanor, the arresting officer must personally witness the offense. A video does not meet this test. The precedent: remember those red light cameras? You don't see them anymore, because their use as evidence has been struck down by courts across the country. Too bad. I thought they were a good idea.

 

[hammick]

I was referred to the State Parks rules and regulations brochure when I called Ridgway State Park this AM:

Good luck. We haven't camped at Ridgeway any time recently but the rangers there are pretty strict. They inspected our campground daily and came around every evening to make sure we didn't have any liquor.

 

[Mr. Salty]

I don't know how that guy got busted either. If it were me, I'd have fought it. Flying a drone or a model airplane in "banned" area is a misdemeanor. In order to cite (which is a form of arrest) someone for committing a misdemeanor, the arresting officer must personally witness the offense. A video does not meet this test. The precedent: remember those red light cameras? You don't see them anymore, because their use as evidence has been struck down by courts across the country. Too bad. I thought they were a good idea.

You're full of misinformation.

First, video of an offense is admissible evidence. An officer doesn't have to personally witness an infraction if there is video evidence.

And there are plenty of red light and speeding cameras where I live and at least two neighboring states. Even in your state they're still legal, with certain requirements: Red light cameras across Texas could be operating illegally

 

[Hauptmann]

Your red light and speeding cameras are probably operating illegally. If they are, someone will have to challenge them in court as has been done in other states.