About 120 people brought their ideas to the table at a public workshop Thursday at Manitou City Hall. The event was the first step toward forging a management plan for the popular, but problematic Manitou Incline.
A one-mile stretch of railroad ties that begins near the Cog Railway, the Incline climbs about 1,900 feet and has become increasingly popular with Pikes Peak area residents. One estimate puts the number of Incline climbers at 70,000 to 100,000 a year.
But the problems with the popular trail are many.
The lower portions of the Incline are privately owned by the Cog Railway and Colorado Springs Utilities. All who hike there are trespassing.
The upper portion of the trail is Forest Service land. About half of the Incline falls within Manitou Springs City limits.
With so many people funneling into a small area, parking is a huge problem. Hikers have taken to parking along Ruxton Ave. in spots traditionally used by residents. On some days, it’s nearly impossible to find parking in the Barr Trail parking lot or along Ruxton Ave.
With the Cog Railway, the Barr Trail trailhead, and the Incline all located in the same area, traffic congestion has grown to the point of becoming dangerous. A traffic jam recently shut down traffic along Ruxton.
The condition of the old Incline railway bed, which in some places tilts to a 45-degree angle, has deteriorated. Erosion caused by rain and snow, plus heavy foot traffic, has loosened many of the ties.
But the Incline is special. It’s a unique trail. It offers casual hikers and elite athletes a heart-pounding workout. Even soldiers from Fort Carson go there to train for fighting in rugged and steep country.
Nearly all who attended Thursday’s workshop, as well as thousands more in the community, want it to be legally open to the public.
So now the work begins. The management plan is being funded by grants from Great Outdoors Colorado, which contributed $70,500, and the Hill family, $25,000. No public money is being used.
The management plan should be ready no later than February 2011. However, Aimee Cox, senior analyst for the city of Colorado Springs, stressed that the plan will have to be approved by land owners and elected officials before the Incline is open to the public.
Those at the workshop formed small working groups to identify key issues and solutions that may be used in the final plan.
Here are some of those ideas.
* Create a shuttle system from Manitou to the Barr Trail trailhead. One group suggested that shuttle users who park farther from congested areas would be required to pay less to use the shuttle.
* Build a parking garage of one level or more where the Cog Railway parking lot is located and charge a small amount for parking. Or, sell season passes to use the lot. The funds raised could be used to pay for the structure, and maintenance of the Incline.
* Create a management entity of representatives from the City of Colorado Springs, the City of Manitou Springs, The Cog Railway, Ruxton-area residents and Incline users.
* Encourage Incline users to bicycle to the trailhead by providing bike racks. Create a “bike valet” where cyclists could leave their bike (for a small fee) and be assured of its safety. And, use “cruiser bikes” - basically old clunkers of little value - to ride from downtown Manitou to the trailhead and back at no charge.
*Create new trails and trailheads. There is a network of trails around the area that could be linked to the Incline.
*Maintain the trail to improve safety, but also keep the rugged and historic nature of the old railway bed in place. Host a "chip-timed" event (a race from the bottom of the Incline to the summit), and other events to raise money for trail maintenance. Create a nonprofit to raise money for Incline maintenance.
*Create more bailout points along the Incline so that folks unaccustomed to the difficulty of the climb can reach Barr Trail, rather than descend the Incline steps.
*Close the trail and enforce the closure until the management plan is completed and approved.
*Take some action now to help solve the traffic problem.
*Serve ice cream at the Incline summit.
The next meetings will be focus sessions.
July 13: Parking/Traffic, 6 to 9 p.m. at Manitou Springs City Hall.
July 14: Trails/Trailheads, 6 to 9 p.m. at Manitou Springs City Hall.
July 15: Operations/management, 6 to 9 p.m. at Manitou Springs City Hall.
Oct. 21: There will be a public workshop, 7 p.m., Oct. 21 at Manitou Springs City Hall
The preview for the draft of the preferred plan is scheduled
for January, 2011.
A review of the final plan is tentatively scheduled for
February, 2011.