Being able to hike around – all the way around – the circumference of America’s Mountain on an unbroken system of connected trails has been a dream of outdoor enthusiasts in the Pikes Peak region for decades. It’s a dream that has been stymied by multitudes of governmental jurisdictions and land managers, along with private property owners who were concerned about opening their land to hikers. Add in concerns over wildlife habitat and vital watershed management, and you end up with gaps in the trail network and a dream that, despite the well-intentioned efforts of many groups and individuals, has been stalled and seemed to have little hope of ever being realized.
This past Tuesday, Jan. 13, a big step was taken that will not close all the gaps in the Ring the Peak trail (more on that later), but sets in motion how recreation on Pikes Peak will be managed.
Imagine being able to hike on the Ring the Peak trail without having to try to figure out who’s jurisdiction you were in and subsequently whose rules applied to wherever you happened to be, or whom to contact if you had a problem. Imagine one set of policies and one point of contact to plan a hike, reserve a campground or to go to if you have a question. Imagine having a group of “ambassadors” as a boots on-the-ground resource to help hikers and campers.
A $2.5 million Colorado Regional Partnerships Initiative grant from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), to be spread out over three years, was presented to the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) by Colorado Governor Jared Polis in a ceremony at the Garden of the Gods Visitors Center on Tuesday.
The grant will go to PPORA’s “Peak Exceptionalism” project and will fund trails improvements and realignments at the North Slope Recreation Area; close a gap in the Ring the Peak trail along Highway 24, and conduct environmental reviews on existing portions of the trail on federal property that are not officially recognized trails, which will then enable them to be recognized.
It will also develop campsites in Cañon City’s Red Canyon Park (read my recent column about the park, here); address maintenance needs in Bureau of Land Management disbursed campsites along Phantom Canyon Road; and task CPW with conducting analysis and archeological studies of potential campsites around the peak. This is the first step in having CPW eventually manage recreation on Pikes Peak. CPW will also be hiring three additional full-time staff out of the Southeast Regional Office for this project. Wildlife habitat for bighorn sheep in Dome Rock State Wildlife Area will be enhanced to reduce the impact on bighorn lambing as recreation use increases nearby. The Trails and Open Space Coalition and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs will be providing technical assistance with GIS, mapping and data gathering, as new trail alignments are considered.
Agencies taking part in this program include the cities of Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Woodland Park and Cañon City, along with El Paso, Teller and Fremont counties. At the federal level there is the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service and, representing the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife. In the nonprofit realm, the Trails and Open Space Coalition, Rocky Mountain Field Institute and Royal Gorge Bighorn Roundtable are taking part. Other agencies include Visit COS, the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, Pikes Peak-America’s Mountain and Colorado Springs Utilities.
One thing that isn’t addressed in this grant and program is the 8-mile gap (as the crow flies) in the RTP on the southwest side of Pikes Peak, near Cripple Creek and Victor. According to PPORA Executive Director Becky Leinweber, the goal of this grant is to first get the existing RTP trail and corridor solidified with a management plan and appropriate trail alignments, and then to work with the variety of public land managers and private property owners in the gap to someday complete the circle around Pikes Peak.
For more information go to the PPORA website and the Ring the Peak website.
Be Good. Do Good Things. Leave No Trace.
