Cycling and Outdoor Gear

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Black Diamond, Columbia, hiking, Mountain Hardware, Pacific Trail, skiing, Sorel
Posted in gear | No Comments »

Pikes Peak South Slope Plan

May 6th, 2010

Pikes Peak from Proposed Boehmer/Mason Trail (CSU Photo)

Colorado Springs Utilities presented the latest Pikes Peak South Slope Plan a little over a week ago on Tuesday, April 27th. I was there along with over 60 others. There were some positive changes based on the feedback given on draft Pikes Peak South Slope Plan presented in January.

One of the changes is the decision to allow mountain bikes on proposed Boehmer/Mason Trail loop that was initially proposed to be closed to bikes. The downside is they’re proposing to increase the trail width to 4 feet to minimize conflict between mountain bikes and other trail users. 4 feet is wider than true singletrack and I doubt it’s necessary. Also trails tend to widen over time so I don’t think they need should start so wide.

Based on the feedback from the January meeting they are now proposing a trail connecting from the Lake Moraine Trail over to the Boehmer/Mason Trail area. This could be a key segment to make completion of Ring the Peak Trail a reality. It also would allow for some epic mountain bike rides connecting with the Barr Trail area. Since it wasn’t on the original plan and it’s been too snowy for them to take a good look at the area, there’s no specific trail location specified.

Although there are no specific plans for building any trail for completing Ring the Peak Trail, they didn’t seem so opposed to it. Most of the sensitive big horn sheep habitat where it makes most sense for the trail is on Forest Service land. There would also need to be a connection through Colorado Springs Utilities land. CSU said they would work with the Forest Service to see if it would be possible.

Another new proposal that I don’t like is allowing limited hunting. According to their slide on the feedback received, they got over 120 comments supporting hunting. That’s over double the number supporting the Ring the Peak Trail which had the 2nd most comments. Although a couple people brought it up at the January meeting, there didn’t seem to be much support for it. My guess is some group organized and sent in a lot of comments online. I’ve heard bullets whiz by me more than once while mountain biking so I’m not excited about hunters being in the area.

I hadn’t noticed before that dogs won’t be allowed on the Pikes Peak South Slope. Because of wildlife concerns especially with the big horn sheep, it makes sense to not allow dogs.

There weren’t a lot of comments but the most were about the trail being so wide and the area being closed in the winter. The plan is for the area to only be open from mid-May through mid-October. People, myself including, would like to be able to snowshoe and cross-country ski on the trails even if it means starting at Gold Camp Road.

So the big question that hasn’t been answered yet is how the building of the trailheads and trails and the ongoing maintenance will be funded. Colorado Springs Utilities will pay for the detailed plan to be completed. The Colorado Springs Park and Recreation department will be responsible for finding the funding for building and maintaining the trailheads and trails. The parks department has had their general fund budget slashed from close to $20 million in 2008 to about $3 million this year so that’ll be a challenge.

The number being used at the meeting was somewhere around $2 to $2.5 million for building everything in the plan. Other places I’ve seen estimates as high as $4 million. Tom, the presenter, said the about $2 million amount is based on bringing in a commercial contractor to do most of the work. Using volunteers to build trails would bring that down. However, the single biggest cost is building bridges and boardwalks over sensitive wetlands and that may be hard to reduce much with volunteers. He said that’s about $900k and I found nearly that much with a quick glance through the costs section of the plan.

At least some funding could come from the Trails and Open Space (TOPS) program. Also the project seems like a great fit for money from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) which is funded from the state lottery proceeds. Fishing is Fun Grants (CDOW), the Fish and Wildlife Resources Fund, Trail Construction Grants (Colorado State Trails Program) and Conservation Trust Fund are listed as other funding sources for construction. Most likely a fee based system will be used to provide ongoing funding.

Another part of the plan that isn’t on the Pikes Peak South Slope is the improvement of the Ute Trail. The Ute Trail runs from near the base of the Manitou Incline to Cascade. Although it isn’t currently an official trail, it is well used but has some very steep sections with erosion issues. The proposal is that El Paso Country Parks will be in charge of the improvements and manage the trail.

You can find many more details including maps, photos and charts in the 88 page plan posted online. You can find some additional information on main Watershed Access Project page including an online form to submit comments by May 18th. It also gives information on getting notified of volunteer or guided tour opportunities.

– UltraRob

Related Links:

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Colorado, Colorado Springs, hiking, mountain biking, Pikes Peak
Posted in Hike, Mountain Bike, outdoors | 4 Comments »

Hiking Legend Gone

April 30th, 2010

I hiked with Peggy Parr for the first time in 1993. It was April, and Cheyenne Canyon’s trails were still clogged with thigh-deep snow. There were five women who formed a loosely organized hiking group with Peggy, and I had been invited to write a story for The Gazette about the group’s treks. We post-holed through the deep snow, covering seven miles in about four hours. We had a six-minute lunch break. Afterward, Parr said she “took it easy” on me because we had never met before and she wasn’t sure about my hiking stamina.

She was 70 then and I was …much younger. And she kicked my butt. We hiked many more times over the next decade and each time, Peggy entertained with a story or two, including her chance encounter with a naked hiker on the Barr Trail and her discovery of a dead body that had been thrown over the side of Gold Camp Road (when she was a member of El Paso County Search and Rescue).

But Peggy never talked much, and was frankly and openly annoyed by hiking groups that she determined too chatty for her tastes. She lived near Cheyenne Canyon, and that was where she could be found much of the time. But she also treasured Barr Trail and spent many days there, stopping only for short breaks at the Lunch Tree (remember the Lunch Tree?) on the way up or down.

She told me once that she only felt her age when she looked in the mirror, and that when that happened, it was “quite shocking.”

But she was philosophical about aging and hiking, and told me for a story that ran in The Gazette, “As the hiker picks up age, he can still hike quite fast and quite far but he doesn’t want to. He has gotten some wisdom with his years. He walks along, and stops to pause and see the woods.”

Peggy died April 2 at age 87.

– Deb Acord

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, Pikes Peak
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mark Your Calendars for a South Slope Trip

April 20th, 2010

Boehmer Reservoir with Pikes Peak in the background (CSU photo)

Would you pay to explore Pikes Peak’s South Slope? Last week, the Colorado Springs City Council voted to finally allow public access on the part of Pikes Peak that contains the city’s watershed. That plan involves some sort of fee system, which has yet to be worked out.

Colorado Springs Utilities owns and manages the South Slope, which has been the subject of endless debates, surveys, public meetings, and consultant presentations for more than a decade. And until recently, those who have lobbied and worked for access to the remote area had all but given up.

Eight years ago, Gazette columnist Barry Noreen and I embarked on a project that explained the South Slope to readers. Its opening looked promising, because CSU had finally completed a master plan that included recreational options.

In that article, one trails advocate was asked why the public should have access to this area closed for decades. “Why?” Mary Burger said. “Because we own it.”

But that master plan gathered dust, and it seemed unlikely that those who worked on the plan, and even their children and grandchildren would ever be able to explore the area.

Burger is the founder of Friends of the Peak, a group formed in 1995 to work on erosion control projects on other parts of the mountain, but members of the non-profit have been interested in, and involved with, the South Slope since 1998.

Today, Burger is celebrating the surprising announcement that the South Slope will finally be opened to recreation, and that Colorado Springs Parks, Trails and Open Space department will manage it.

Just how they will manage it is still being figured out, but it will probably involve a fee system that would circumvent using tax dollars on it.

Guided tours could begin as early as June. I can’t wait. But the question remains: Would you pay to get onto the South Slope?

If you want more information, a public meeting is planned at 5 p.m. April 27 at the Leon Young Service Center, 1521 Hancock Expressway. The final plan will be released then.

– Deb Acord

Note from UltraRob: From what I’ve heard, mountain biker comments on the Pikes Peak South Slope plan presented in January had an impact and bikes will be allowed on the trails originally designated no bikes allowed. I’d encourage everyone intested in access to this area to go to the meeting and give their feedback on the latest plan.

Related Links

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, mountain biking, Pikes Peak
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Free Entrance to National Parks

April 15th, 2010

National Park Week starts this Saturday and during it entrance to all 392 national parks will be free. It’s from April 17th to the 25th. Since it includes two weekends, it’s actually more than a week.

In addition to no entrance fees, there are other special events. They include National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday April 24th. Children can take part in kid-friendly activities and earn their very own junior ranger patch.

For more information, see the National Park Week page on the NPS site.

– UltraRob

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: hiking, outdoors
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Trail Use When Muddy

March 30th, 2010

Spring on the Colorado Front Range often means snow or rain. In fact in the last week and a half we’ve had 3 snow storms. With the snow and rain comes muddy trails. On Sunday I waited until afternoon to go mountain biking but still hit a few muddy sections.

Hiking, running or mountain biking on muddy trails can tear them up. The best thing is to avoid muddy trails and wait until they dry out. We’re fortunate to have some locals trails that are gravel and don’t get very muddy. If you aren’t sure in your area, contact a local bike or outdoor shop to find out which trails get muddy.

If you’re on a trail and encounter a short, muddy section, the best thing to do is go right through the middle of it. As you can see in the photo above, going around the edge widens the trail and creates an even bigger mud section. Most of our lower snow has melted but on trails that are snowy, it’s best to go early in the morning before it warms up and they become muddy.

Colorado Springs trails that get muddy

Palmer Park
Red Rocks Park
Section 16 – the east side by the hogbacks
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Garden of the Gods
Parts of Ute Valley Park
Parts of Stratton Open Space

Most of the trails in the Cheyenne Canon area are gravel and don’t get too muddy. These trail include Captain Jacks, Buckhorn and Columbine. Palmer Trail from High Drive is also good but dropping down Section 16 isn’t advised when it’s muddy. Other than a couple short sections, Barr Trail also is good when wet.

– UltraRob

Tags: hiking, mountain biking, running
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Snowy Manitou Incline Photos

March 19th, 2010

Spring is almost here and that means big weather extremes here in Colorado. Yesterday I got a nice lunch time ride in 60 degree weather. This morning the snow is coming down.

Going hiking or cross-country skiing in a snow storm can be beautiful. Just be prepared and know how to navigate. It can be easy to get disoriented even in familiar areas.

Here are some photos from a hike I did on the Manitou Incline about a month ago. If the snow keeps up, it should look about the same in a few hours. It is still trespassing to hike the Manitou Incline and they’re spending $100k to study how to make it safe. As with hiking in any weather, you need to pay attention and be safe.

– UltraRob

Related Links:

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, Manitou Incline
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Rampart Range Mangement Meeting Tomorrow (Wednesday)

March 9th, 2010

The 3rd public meeting for the is tomorrow evening (Wednesday, March 10). There’s a summary online of the October meetings. It takes some reading and I still didn’t have a very clear picture of what changes might occur. An article in the Gazette has a summary of possible changes.

There are some new trails proposed for mountain bikers and hikers which would be nice. They would include some good connectors to popular hiking areas. Some roads used by dirt bikes and ATVs would be closed but there would also be some new trails and areas for OHV users.

Overall it sounds pretty good for mountain bikers and hikers but things can change. In other planning meetings in the area, vocal groups have been able to get changes late in the planning at the expense of less vocal groups.

Meeting Details:

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Workshop from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM (presentation at 5:30)
Leon Young Service Center (Colorado Springs Utilities)
Pikes Peak Room (2nd floor)
1521 Hancock Expressway
Colorado Springs, Colorado

I would like to be at the meeting but doubt I’ll make it. To keep peace in the household, a home improvement project is currently higher on the priority list.

– UltraRob

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00

Price: $219.95

Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, mountain biking
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Pikes Peak South Slope Meeting January 2010

January 29th, 2010

Boehmer Reservoir with Pikes Peak in the background (CSU photo)

Update: At the meeting the end of April, they presented a mostly final Pikes Peak South Slope plan that included several things that were brought up in this meeting.

The Pikes Peak South Slope recreation meeting on Tuesday was very well attended. I counted somewhere close to 130 people.

There weren’t any major surprises from what I wrote before the meeting based on what I had heard. After writing that I also obtained a copy of the concept plan.

The written plan doesn’t have any information in it about who’s going to pay to build the trails and parking lots or how it’s going to be maintained. It turns out that’s because they really don’t have a plan. It did seem pretty clear that it’ll include user fees and could include a private company managing it.

Tom, the presenter, said they want to phase in access and trails because they don’t want to rush and damage a sensitive area. Barry from the Gazette said that we’re already 11 years into the process and he didn’t feel there was any danger of rushing into it. He also brought up that the Denver Water Board also manages recreational access to similar areas.

The reason given for not having a plan that would include a section of the Ring the Peaks Trail was that the Forest Service doesn’t want a new trail. CSU doesn’t want to build a trail that would deadend at the Forest Service boundary. Although I think the Forest Service is reluctant to build the trail, it seems they’re both pointed at the other and using it as an excuse rather than working together.

Their main reason for restricting mountain bikers is the bighorn sheep. There’s believe to about 200 sheep in the area. Utilities was told by a biologist that the speed of bikes scares the sheep. They didn’t know if there were studies showing that. Jim from Medicine Wheel pointed out a study in Canyonlands referenced on the IMBA site that showed that hikers caused significantly more severe responses from desert bighorn sheep than mountain bikers.

I don’t know how the response is similar between desert sheep and our high country bighorn sheep. Still it seems that they are using the sheep as a way to keep mountain bikes out and possibly don’t have sufficient scientific data to back it up. Maybe the area should just be closed to all users during the lambing season.

The main recreation groups of hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and fishers were well represented. There were also a few rock climbers, hunters. When they asked for who was there for the various types of recreation, it looked like over half the room raised their hands for both mountain biking and hiking. That’s not surprising since there’s a lot of people that do both. Equestrians represented about 20% with a smaller number of fishermen.

Most of the equestrians were happy with the initial plan. I didn’t get a good feel for how hikers felt other than being disappointed about the Ring the Peaks Trail. Mountain bikers definitely weren’t happy about not getting access to the South Slope reservoir area.

If you didn’t make the meeting but want to make comments, fill out the comment form due by February 26th. There’s information on the Watershed Access Project page for emailing it to CSU. They plan to have another public meeting in April with plan refinements based on the feedback they receive. They plan to finish up the planning phase by June.

– UltraRob

Price: $38.73

Price: $135.00