Manitou Incline
2015 Manitou Incline Calendars
2015 Manitou Incline calendars are now available for ordering. $3 from each calendar will be donated to the Incline Friends. I expect for the calendars to be available for shipping around December 5th.
Keep an eye on the Manitou Incline Hike Facebook page or InclineHike on twitter if you prefer to buy in person. I plan to be near the Incline and/or at a local merchant a couple times before Christmas.
To order now, go to the 2015 Manitou Incline calendar order page.
Manitou Incline Reopening Friday, December 5
The Manitou Incline will reopen on Friday, December 5th, 2014. It has been closed since August 18th for repairs. An update with photos of the Incline repair work is here and more info on the Manitou Incline repair project is here.
Press release from City of Colorado Springs.
Join us for a reopening celebration of the Manitou Incline on Friday, December 5 at 10 AM at the base of the Incline. Please park in the COG parking lot, 515 Ruxton Av, 80829.
The Manitou Incline will be reopened to the public after being closed for repairs for the past three months. Phase 1 construction has been completed to repair the steepest sections of the Incline and protect it from further erosion and damage due to future storm events and public use.
Goals of the Manitou Incline Trail Enhancement Project
The Incline project’s four major goals are improved safety, enhanced user experience, long-term sustainability of the trail and increased accessibility. Work on the Incline included repair and replacement of damaged retaining walls, cleanup of rebar and loose debris, construction of additional drainage structures, stabilization of existing ties and stabilization of surrounding slopes. The new drainage structures will significantly reduce the velocity of water, a critical factor in reducing erosion and ensuring the Incline’s long-term sustainability.
History of the Mt. Manitou Incline
Under the ownership of Dr. Newton Brumback, the Manitou Incline was originally constructed as a one-mile cable tram for the purpose of providing access to water tanks at the top of the mountain that would provide gravity-fed water pressure to the cities of Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. Shortly after its completion in 1907, the tram was opened as a tourist attraction. The Incline boasted a 16-minute ride to “scenic splendors” and ten miles of hiking trails in Mt. Manitou Park, and claimed to be the “longest and highest incline on the globe.”
The Incline’s 2,741 steps make up one of the most challenging and popular recreation sites in the nation. The trail is a one-mile ascent with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet, and the average grade is 43%, reaching 68% at the steepest point. Nearly 20 years of unmanaged trespass and use of the Incline have resulted in significant erosion on the mountainside and dangerous trail conditions.
In 2010, the three property owners – Colorado Springs Utilities, the COG Railway, and the US Forest Service – together with the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, agreed that serious safety and liability concerns, including the trail’s condition and impact on nearby neighborhoods, called for development of a Site Development and Management Plan to address these issues, allow the Incline to open for legal use and to capitalize on the Incline’s benefits. The Incline is now officially open and legal for recreational use.
Manitou Incline Repairs Update
Update 12/1/14: The Manitou Incline will reopen at 10 AM on Friday, December 5th.
A lot of work has been done on the Incline over the last couple months. Much of it has been to reduce the erosion issues along the side of the ties. On the steep section where the ties were in the worst condition, a section has been replaced with new timbers. The new timbers are anchored into the mountain side to reduce the chance they’ll slide down the slope.
Below you can see photos of some of the work done around the Barr bail trail. Note: these photos are courtesy of the Colorado Springs Park and Rec department and the Incline is still closed to the public during repairs.
The cold and snow last week slowed progress on the repairs. Not only does bad weather make it hard for the crews to work on the Incline but it affects scheduling of the helicopter that is being used to lift gravel and supplies up to the work site. The helicopter is only available when it’s not being used on its primary contracts with other companies.
I spoke with the project manager, Sarah Bryarly, last week. She said the crew from Timberline Landscaping is working hard to stay on schedule. However, she thought that it’s unlikely the Incline will open on December 1st but she expects that it’ll still be sometime the first week of December.
Want to be one of the first few up the Incline to see the repairs? The Incline Friends are offering an opportunity to the first 30 people who donate $250 or more to the Incline through the Indy Give! campaign to get to climb the Incline a day early, before the official re-opening! Giving through Indy Give! also makes your donation go farther through matching funds.
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Possible 2015 Incline Calendar Photos
Update 11-24-14: 2015 Manitou Incline calendars can be ordered here.
2014 is coming to a close and 2015 will be here before long. I’m a little behind schedule but I’m finalizing the 2015 Manitou Incline calendar and will have it available the beginning of December.
Below are some photos that may be on the 2015 Incline calendar. You can give your input on what you’d like to see on the calendar by liking or commenting on them over on the Manitou Incline Hike page.
Have a photo you think is worthy of being on the calendar? Share it and if I use it you’ll get a free calendar. For photos to be used on the calendar, they need to be shot horizontal and available in high resolution. Most camera pics aren’t high enough resolution.
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Manitou Incline Work Day Sept 13, 2014
This Saturday, September 13, will be the first of 3 work days this fall for the Manitou Incline. The other 2 are October 11th and November 1st.
This first work day will be on the trail that connects the top of the Incline to Barr Trail. This connector trail has been a social trail with serious erosion issues and multiple paths. The social trails will be closed and a new sustainable trail will be built.
Participants must be 12 years or older, anyone under 18 must have a guardian accompany them during the workday. Check-in/late registration the morning of will begin at 7:30 a.m., in the Barr Parking Lot. The project will begin at 8 a.m., ending at 3:30 p.m. Please come prepared to work the entire day and hike 3 miles up Barr Trail to the project work site.
Tools will be provided and brought to the project work site by staff. You will need to bring and hike with your own gloves, water, hat, sunscreen and lunch.
You can sign up by going to the Colorado Springs Parks and Rec volunteer page and searching with the keyword “incline”. The direct link for the September 13 work day is here
Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon August 16 & 17, 2014
This Saturday is the Pikes Peak Ascent and Sunday is the Pikes Peak Marathon. On Saturday the 1st Wave starts at 7 AM and the 2nd Wave at 7:30 AM. Barr Trail should be clear after 8:30 AM for runners going up.
Sunday the start is 7 AM but there will only be a small window before runners will be coming back down Barr Trail until late afternoon. The cut-off for an official Pikes Peak Marathon time is 5 PM but runners will still be coming down after that time.
If you still want to go this weekend, try avoiding Barr Trail while the racers are on it. The racers have right of way and have trained hard for the event so please respect them and stay out of their way.
On Saturday there will be no parking on Ruxton Avenue and some side streets from 4 AM until 8 AM. Sunday there will be no parking 4 AM to 5 PM. Also because of the race, the free Manitou Incline shuttle won’t be running up to the Iron Springs Chateau. Iron Springs Chateau will have their $5 a day parking open starting at 5 AM both Saturday and Sunday.
The Manitou Incline closes at 6 AM Monday and will be closed until early December. This weekend is your final chance to hike the Incline before repair work is done. Just beware of the racers and let them complete their races as quickly and safely as possible. If you want to get one last hike in, Saturday after 8:30 AM would be the best time.
Manitou Incline Erosion from Summer Rains
Heavy rains in the Pikes Peak region the last few weeks have created rumors that the Manitou Incline is closed because of the rain. The rains haven’t closed the Incline but a plan to close the Incline for repairs was announced earlier this year. The current unofficial plan is for it to close on August 18th, 2014 for about 4 months. More details on the Incline closure and repairs is here.
Although the plan is for the Incline to be open until August 18th, it would be best not to wait until the final weekend to hike it. The Pikes Peak Ascent is on August 16th and the Pikes Peak marathon is on the 17th so Manitou and Barr Trail will be crowded that weekend.
I hiked the Incline on July 23, 2014. I’ve been focused on training for the Leadville 100 mountain bike race so haven’t been hiking the Incline much this summer. There has been considerable erosion since I last hiked it the beginning of the summer.
Most of the damage has been in the gullies along the sides of the Incline and not to the ties themselves. There were a few more ties missing and the gullies are cutting under the end of several of the ties. This was the first time I’ve seen the pipeline for the hydro plant exposed above the Barr bail trail.
We all love the rugged, jumbled character of the Incline and don’t want to see it changed. However, it won’t stay the same as it’s constantly eroding. Take a look at the old photos on the Incline closure page. It’s clear that repairs need to be made so we can continue challenging ourselves on the Incline for years to come.
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Manitou Incline to be Closed for Repairs
Update 12/1/14: The Manitou Incline will reopen at 10 AM this Friday, December 5th.
Update November 17th, 2014 It’s currently like the Manitou Incline will re-open the first week of December but not on the 1st. More Incline repair details here.
Update August 5th, 2014 Colorado Springs Park and Rec has confirmed that the Incline will be closing August 18th at 6 AM. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are on final weekend the Incline is open. Find info about the effects of the races on the Incline here.
The Incline has slowly been eroding since the cable car quit operating in 1990. Volunteers pounded in rebar and made other repairs over the years or the Incline would be in worse shape. Last fall’s heavy rains did considerable damage.
If hikers are caught trespassing during the closure, they could receive a $100 fine. According to project manager Sarah Bryarly, Manitou Springs police will enforce the closure.
While the long-term sustainability of the trail is critical, I’m not sure how the user experience is going to be enhanced. One of the key things users wanted during public input meetings during the legalization process was for the Incline retain it’s rough character.
The conceptual drawing on the left that was provided by the City of Colorado Springs doesn’t seem to leave it so rugged. Of course looking at the photos above that compare a section in 1996 to it’s current condition, it appears it could be at least as rough as back then. I started hiking the Incline in 1998 and have noticed it changing over the years but didn’t realize how much.
The project is expected to cost nearly $1.6 million. About half a million will come from FEMA because of the rain damage. The remainder will come from the Great Outdoors Colorado Grant, Colorado Springs Utilities, the State Trails Grant, the Colorado Springs CTF Program, Incline Friends, Colorado Springs TOPS Program and the Manitou Springs Barr Parking Lot Fund.
In the excellent video below, engineer Don Jacobs talks about some of the challenges of working to stabilize the Incline.
Free Manitou Shuttle Resumes Incline Service
Tomorrow, May 18th, the free Manitou Incline shuttle starts running again for the summer. It will run through September 13, 2014.
The Incline bus (Route 33) will operate from 6 AM until 8 PM every day on 20 minute intervals. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays there will be a 2nd bus from 10 AM until 8 PM. The 2nd bus will be timed so there will be about 10 minutes between buses. There’s also another bus route that will service downtown Manitou. See the map of the routes here.
The Incline bus runs from the free parking lot behind the Tajine Alami Restaurant at 10 Old Mans Trail in Manitou. Park around the side and park of the restaurant and not out in front. The shuttle stop is across the street from the restaurant.
Incline Friends at Incline Base May 17-18
Members of the Incline Friends Board of Directors will be at the base of the Incline this Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18 to sell memberships. I’m not sure exactly the times they will be there this time but they’re typically there from about 7 AM until noon.
Memberships are $35 and they’ll take cash or credit car. Memberships support Manitou Incline maintenance. It also includes a pair of running shorts with the IF logo and a Manitou Merchants Card, good for special deals at a bunch of shops in Manitou Springs.
