Private inholding in Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Protected
December 12, 2025-
The Wilderness Land Trust has protected a 20-acre inholding property within the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The property, known as the Busher Claim, was privately owned with mining claims dating back to 1884. The Trust purchased the property with the goal of transferring it to public ownership to be added to the wilderness area.
The Busher Claim property sits on the slopes above the popular hiking destination of Cumberland Basin, below Pearl Mountain and Castle Peak. Its fragile high-alpine ecosystem provides important wildlife habitat as well as pristine viewsheds for recreationists. Because it is located near the Pearl Pass Road, an OHV route from Aspen to Crested Butte, the property was at higher risk of development.
The property has now been protected from development thanks to the generous support of Trust donor Kim Kanas of Longmont, Colorado through the Wilderness Opportunity Fund. Once transferred to public ownership, it will enjoy the highest level of protection available to public lands as designated wilderness, which can only be altered by an act of Congress, not through executive order or administration directive.
To date, The Wilderness Land Trust has protected 35 properties in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, including recently partnering with Pitkin County on the landmark conservation deal to protect the 650-acre Snowmass Falls Ranch outside Snowmass Village.
