Manitou Incline
Incline Friends Jack ‘O Lantern
Trudging up the Manitou Incline is quite the workout. Imagine hauling a Jack ‘O Lantern up it.
That’s exactly what Roger Austin did early Sunday morning when it was still dark out. This is the 2nd year he’s carved a pumpkin and taken it up the Incline for Halloween. This year he used the Incline Friends logo for the design.
Roger says, “I think the people who saw it, liked it, so mission accomplished! It was fun. It’s too bad the weather is so warm. It’s not holding up well.”
Congratulations to Roger on his pumpkin hauling and a big thanks for sharing some photos.
Incline Beer Mile
For most people, just hiking up the Incline is hard enough. On September 8th, some people made it extra challenging by doing it as a beer mile. The rules were as follows.
- No “light” beers
- Carry your own beer
- Drink every 400 meters (or what seems like 400 meters)
- Keep track of your own time
- If you puke, you must go back to the beginning if you haven’t passed the halfway point or back to the halfway point if you have breached that point
- Don’t kill yourself!
WARNING: It’s not recommended to drink alcohol while hiking the Incline.
The Incline Beer Mile was won by Peter Maksimow in 25:45. Not surprisingly JT was also involved. You can read more on the Team Colorado Website.
Manitou Incline Photo Essay
Chris Carruth sent over this Manitou Incline Photo Essay. A big thanks to him capturing a morning of hiking on the Incline. Enjoy!
See rest of photos
Incline Work Day May 12, 2012
Last weekend the Incline Friends held a Manitou Incline workday and about 60 people helped out. Hiking the Incline is still illegal and most likely will continue to be so at least for another few months. In spite of the Incline still not being legal, the focus of the workday was implementing some of the provisions of the Incline Management Plan.
A fence was built around the Barr Trail parking lot. The social trail from the parking lot up to the Incline was covered up. A sign was put up at the bottom of the Incline with the Incline rules. The rules include the controversial no dogs allowed and dawn to dusk rules. The base for a donation tube was also installed.
Thanks to Tim Bergsten of Pikes Peak Sports for these photos of the workday.
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Incline Work Day May 12
The Incline Friends have a major volunteer work day planned for the Incine for May 12th. You’ll have the opportunity to be one of the first volunteers to help improve the Maintou Incline. Join the Cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, REI, Incline Friends, Trails and Open Space Coalition, and Friends of the Peak to help
- Prune vegetation and remove rebar from the trail corridor
- Install fence around the Barr Parking Lot
- Close social trails
- Install wayfinding signs
- Rehab portions of Barr Trail
Parking is only available at Manitou Springs High School. Buses will transport volunteers to the Barr Parking Lot. Do not park at the Barr Trailhead parking lot as this parking will be reserved for recreational users.
Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., with work starting at 8 a.m. Work will finish around 3 p.m.
The first bus will leave the high school’s parking lot at 7 a.m., with the second bus leaving at 7:20 a.m.
Please dress in layers so you’re prepared for our Colorado weather; closed toe shoes, water, work gloves, and lunch are a must! Sunscreen and hats are recommended.
Trail work is no fun for dogs, so please leave your pooches at home. This project is limited to those 12 years and older, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and have a waiver signed by a guardian. Sign-up for the work day at on the REI site.
Please note the Incline is not officially open or legal, hiking the Incline is still considered trespassing. Due to the nature of the Incline, trail work will range from moderate to difficult. If the weather is inclement please visit Incline Friends or Trails and Open Space Coalition that morning to see if the project has been canceled. If canceled the make-up day will be May 19th.
21 year old and over volunteers will get free coupons to enjoy a “tasting” of “Manitou Incline Malbec Wine” at D’Vine Wine in Manitou Springs immediately following the volunteer project.
The Incline Friends ask that you arrive prepared to work since you can hold up your whole group if you aren’t prepared. You shouldn’t have to run back to your car for anything. In the case of this work day, that would mean a long trek from the Barr parking lot back to Manitou High School. Being prepared means having your sun screen already applied, being appropriately dressed in long pants, sturdy footwear (no sandals), gloves to wear and (in your pack) another clothing layer or two, including rain gear, maybe a hat. You should have everything with you that you will need for that day: water, snacks, cell phone, sunglasses, sun screen (for re-applying as perspiration takes a layer away), anything you feel is important to have with you out on the trail, medicine, bug dope, etc.
Death on the Incline
This afternoon El Paso County Search and Rescue and the Manitou Fire Department responded to the Incline after an off-duty paramedic reported he had ceased CPR on a woman. She was about 1/3 of the way up the Incline. Search and Rescue reported that it was an apparent cardiac arrest and that they were unable to revive her.
At this point, the only thing known about the lady is that she was 58. Some people may assume she wasn’t in the best of shape but fit athletes have dropped dead from heart attacks. In fact it is now being reported that Ultra-marathon runner Micah True, who went missing in New Mexico in March, died of heart disease.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
A week and a half ago, search and rescue responded to a call for a hiker on lower Barr Trail. From what they reported, it sounded like he was having chest pains and had a cardiac arrest after they reached him. Fortunately they were able to successfully defibrillated him. It is unknown if had hiked the Incline or just been on Barr Trail.
On June 15, 2009, a man suffered a heart attack near the top of the Incline. Other hikers administered CPR but he was dead when search and rescue reached him.
Incline Friends Membership Meeting
Incline Friends will hold its first General Membership meeting at 6 PM, Thursday, May 3. It will be held at the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation offices, 1401 Recreation Way. Everyone is invited to attend.
They will discuss the Incline Friends organizational status, provide updated information about the legalizing the Incline and discuss 13 crucial steps that will lead to opening day! There will also be information about the May 12 volunteer work day.
Representatives from Incline Friends partner cities and organizations will be available to answer questions and take your input. Incline Friends is also interested in your ideas about the direction of the friends group.
Critical Incline Votes
Update 2/28/12: Both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs city councils unanimously approved the IGA for the Incline. That’s 2 more big steps climbed but there are many more including an act of Congress before the Incline can be legallly opened.
Tomorrow is a critical day in the legalization of the Manitou Incline for hiking or running for those that can. Both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs will be voting on the inter-governmental agreement for managing the Incline. It is far from certain that the agreement will be approved by Manitou at this time. Keep reading to learn what you can do to help.
Manitou residents are unhappy with the traffic and parking issues. Some on the Manitou Springs City Council feel they are being forced into allowing Incline hikers because it would be difficult to stop people at this point. They also want to find a way to make Incline users to pay to use it.
If the process hadn’t been stretched out so far, they might remember that the majority of people were against paying to use the Incline. It creates liability issues for Colorado Springs if money is charged. Charging requires some way to enforce it and collect it which could become a hassle for hikers.
The Manitou Springs Council special packet has the inter-governmental agreement that spells out who will be responsible for what. In general Colorado Springs is responsible for the trailhead creation and maintenance. They also are responsible for much of the maintenance of the Incline itself. They also work with the Incline Friends to raise money and apply for grants. Manitou is responsible for parking and traffic control.
There’s an interesting poll on Pikes Peak Sports about paying to park and/or hike the Incline. Out There Colorado also has a pay for the Incline poll.
From the Incline Friends
Thank you for taking an interest in the Incline. The Incline Friends now need your help!
The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is scheduled to be reviewed February 28 by both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs City Councils. This is a very important document. Both city councils must approve the IGA before the Incline can be made legal and open to the public.
Here is what we need from you:
If you live in Manitou Springs – Please contact your local City Council member and encourage them to approve the agreement on February 28. Here is the message you can send (copy and paste into an e-mail):
“In order to make the Incline sustainable and legal and address the ongoing parking and traffic impacts to Manitou Springs , we will need all parties working together to make the Incline an asset for our community, Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.
A key component noted in the Intergovernmental Agreement is parking regulations and a residential parking plan for Ruxton Ave. and the surrounding neighborhoods, to manage the parking and traffic.
Other components include establishing a trailhead at the base of the Incline, addressing the unsafe conditions on the Incline, fixing and maintaining the surrounding and interconnected trail system including the Barr Trail and managing the overall use of the Incline.
Please consider signing the IGA on Feb. 28. As a resident of Manitou Springs, I understand that the alternative to not moving forward with the Incline is the status quo which is not acceptable. People in large numbers (350,000 – 500,000 trips per year) will continue to use the Incline and the City of Manitou Springs can benefit from these visitors visiting our businesses and contributing to our sales and tax base.
To do nothing is not an option! Nobody likes the situation as it Is, so collaboration and cooperation with other key stakeholders is critical. If we don’t’ do anything now, it will only get worse!”
Manitou Springs City Council contacts:
Mayor Marc Snyder – msnyder@comsgov.com
Donna Ford, At large – dford@comsgov.com
Randy Hodges, At large – rhodges@comsgov.com
Gary Smith, At large – gsmith@comsgov.com
Michael Gerbig, Ward 1 – mgerbig@comsgov.com
Coreen Toll, Ward 2 – ctoll@comsgov.com
Matt Carpenter, Mayor Pro-Tem, Ward 3 – mcarpenter@comsgov.com
All members can be reached @ 719-385-5481
__________________________________________________________________________________If you live in Colorado Springs – Please contact your local City Council member and encourage them to approve the agreement on February 28th. Here is the message you can send (copy and paste into an e-mail):
“In order to make the Incline sustainable and legal and address the ongoing parking and traffic impacts to Manitou Springs, we will need all parties working together to make the Incline an asset for Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak region.
The Intergovernmental Agreement will address Incline parking and traffic issues, establishing a trailhead at the base of the Incline, addressing the unsafe conditions on the Incline, fixing and maintaining the surrounding and interconnected trail system including the Barr Trail and managing the overall use of the Incline.
Please consider signing the IGA on Feb. 28. As a resident of Colorado Springs, I understand that the alternative to not moving forward with the Incline is the status quo which is not acceptable. People in large numbers (350,000 – 500,000 trips per year) will continue to do the incline and our entire community can benefit from having this unique treasure available to locals and visitors.
Please don’t lose this opportunity to move this process forward.”
Colorado Springs City Council contacts:
Merv Bennett, At-Large – mbennett@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5469
Lisa Czelatdko, District 3 – lczelatdko@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5470
Angela Dougan, District 2 – adougan@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5493
Scott Hente, President – shente@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5487
Bernie Herpin, District 4 – bherpin@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5492
Tim Leigh, At-Large – tleigh@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5483
Jan Martin, President Pro-Tem – jmartin@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5486
Val Snider, At-Large – vsnider@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5485
Brandy Williams, At-Large – bwilliams@springsgov.com
(719) 385-5491
Thank you for helping move this process forward for the benefit of all.
Act of Congress Needed to Legalize Hiking the Incline
Yes, you read the title correctly. It looks like it’s literally going to take an act of the US Congress to legalize hiking the Manitou Incline although it’ll take even more than that.
The Incline Friends found out last summer that the federal government has to declare railroads abandoned before the land can be used for something else. There was confusion about whether it applied to the Incline since it was only a mile long and didn’t connect to another tracks. At the Incline Friends Membership Drive in January, one of the board members said that they didn’t have final word but thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
Now it’s become clear it’ll take an act of Congress to allow the U.S. Forest Service to accept the Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway’s relinquishment of their right-of-way. A couple weeks ago Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) introduced H.R. 4073 to address the Incline right-of-way.
“This is just one of many necessary steps needed to hopefully open the Manitou Incline. I want to recognize and thank all those in Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs who have been working on resolving this issue for years. This Act of Congress addresses an obscure territorial-era law on the federal books related to railways. I have every expectation that this bill will move quickly through the House and could become law as early as this Spring, pending passage in the Senate. This bill does not resolve all the issues necessary for legal access to the Incline, but does solve the critical federal roadblock.” — Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
Two more big steps for legalizing the Incline take place on February 28, 2012 when both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs city councils are to vote on the inter-governmental agreement for managing the Incline.
Incline Conditions Mid February 2012
The trail conditions on the Manitou Incline haven’t changed much in the last few weeks since there hasn’t been much new snow. There has been a bit more snow for a day or 2 after newsnow and then it melts.
There still is ice left from older snows just below the track split about half way and then above the false summit. There isn’t much ice on the lower section but above the false summit is quite icy in spots.
The photos on this page were taken in the afternoon on Sunday, February 12th. There wasn’t quite as much snow on the upper section on Thursday but it was still quite icy and required caution to keep from slipping without traction devices. Carrying Kahtoola MicroSpikes, YakTrax, or Stabilicers Lite would still be a good idea if you aren’t comfortable on ice.
The social short cut down to Barr Trail is mostly clear. Barr trail has a few short, icy sections but it is also mostly clear.
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