Mount
Democrat
Gold turned up in nearby Buckskin Gulch in 1860, and the peak was first known as Mount Buckskin, after prospector Joseph "Buckskin Joe" Higginbottom. After Mount Lincoln was named for the president in 1861, area Democrats pushed a rival name for this neighboring summit, and it reached official maps as Mount Democrat by 1883. Silver strikes on the surrounding slopes through the 1870s built the mining town of Alma at its base.
The upper mountain is pocked with old mine workings, including the Kentucky Belle, and the private landowner closed the standard Kite Lake route to hikers in 2021, cutting off roughly 25,000 annual visitors. The Conservation Fund bought the 300-acre summit and trailhead in September 2023 and conveyed the land to the Pike-San Isabel National Forest that December, restoring permanent public access.
SOURCE Wikipedia — Mount DemocratCurrent (June 2026, 14ers.com Kite Lake TH reports): Kite Lake Road closed for construction to ~1.4 mi below the trailhead through Jul 31, 2026 — foot access still allowed; CFI trail-reconstruction work runs through the 2026 field season. Day-use fee $8/vehicle at the trailhead (14ers.com mr01; older sources cite $3-5). Legal status: Democrat and Cameron summits are public land; Lincoln's summit is open conditionally (private, waiver kiosk on the access road; Kite Lake route only — CFI); Mount Bross's TRUE SUMMIT REMAINS CLOSED (private, defunct mine shafts, landowner consensus never reached) — the loop legally bypasses it below the top. USFS added 480 acres on Bross, including the Lincoln-Bross trail segment, to Pike-San Isabel NF on Mar 18, 2026 (fs.usda.gov release), but the release states the summit 'remains privately owned' and 'public access to the summit remains restricted.'