News
Public Meetings about Manitou Incline
Hiking the Manitou Incline has continued to grow more popular even though it’s illegal. The U.S. Forest Service has estimated that 70,000 people use the Incline annually.
This Thursday evening, June 24th, there will be a meeting to get public input on the Manitou Incline. It will be held at Manitou Springs City Hall, 606 Manitou Avenue, from 7 to 9 PM. Manitou Springs also has a project page with more information and maps of the Manitou Incline.
The following additional public meetings will be hosted in July at Manitou Springs City Hall.
- July 13th – Traffic and Parking Focus Area Session, 6 – 9 p.m.
- July 14th – Trails and Trailhead Focus Area Session, 6 – 9 p.m.
- July 15th – Management and Operations Focus Area Session, 6 – 9 p.m.
The planning process is funded by Great Outdoors Colorado and the Hill Family Foundation. The final plan will be presented to the Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs City Councils in February 2011.
For more information, please contact Aimee Cox at 719-385-6532 or aicox@springsgov.com.
THE INCLINE IS PRIVATE PROPERTY AND POSTED NO TRESPASSING. PUBLIC ACCESS ON THE INCLINE IS NOT ALLOWED. TRESPASSING ON THE INCLINE IS ILLEGAL.
Man Injured on Incline Brought Down by Search and Rescue
56 year old Paul Cohen is reported to have tripped and fallen on the Incline today. He impaled his leg on rebar and was seriously bleeding. Rebar has been used by underground volunteers to help keep ties in place.
Cohen fell soon after noon. El Paso County Search and Rescue took him down Barr Trail in a litter. He was then taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Read the Gazette article here.
UpaDowna Incline Happy Hour
Incline Happy Hour from Alpine Studio LLC on Vimeo.
Although hiking the Manitou Incline is still illegal, it hasn’t stopped a group of beer and outdoor lovers from meeting every Thursday evening to hike it. It’s the informal UpaDowna Incline Happy group.
There’s no set start time although some meet at the No Trespassing sign at 5 PM. At an average pace, the sign is 6-7 minutes from the parking lot. The goal is to be at the top around 6 PM and then meet around 7 back down at Kinfolks. Some people carry a PBR up for a celebratory drink at the top.
The gathering was started by the guys from the UpaDowna outdoor blog. UpaDowna is short for Up a Mountain, Down a Beer. They also have a Facebook page.
Brush Fires Near Manitou Incline
Yesterday winds up to 70 mph caused problems in the area near the Manitou Incline. There were 8 small fires down near the Pikes Peak Cog Railway from a blown transformer and powerlines blown down. About one acre burned without any major damage.
KKTV has a few more details.
Barr Trail Parking Lot to be Closed
The Barr Trail parking lot is scheduled to be closed Monday and Tuesday, May 24th and 25th for paving. Hopefully they’re also paving Hydra and getting it fixed up.
Update: Turns out they were paving just Hydra and not the parking lot.
