In addition to the Ring the Peak trail system, Friends of the Peak has been involved in the building, renovation, and maintenance of many other trails on Pikes Peak. Some of this work is in conjunction with other Friends groups. This work continues every year in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, Pikes Peak Highway, El Paso County Parks, Colorado Springs Utilities and other volunteer and Friends groups. Each year there are numerous opportunities to volunteer for these projects.
Barr Trail
Barr Trail, Forest Service trail #620, is one of the most popular trails in the region, climbing 12.6-miles (20.3 km) and 7,500 feet (2,300 m) from Manitou Springs, at about 6,700 feet, to the summit of Pikes Peak, 14,115 feet. LEARN MORE
Bear Creek
Bear Creek Trail (Jones Park Trail), Forest Service trail #666, starts at High Drive and connects to Forest Service trail #667.
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Crags to Summit
The increasingly popular route up the west and northwest side of Pikes Peak to the summit, Forest Service trail 753 (664A), goes through Devil’s Playground.
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Crystal
The trail near Crystal Reservoir, in the North Slope Recreation Area, is a connecting trail in Ring the Peak,
Elk Park
The Elk Park Trail, Forest Service trail 652, has a trailhead off the Pikes Peak Highway above Glen Cove and connects to Barr Trail.
Horsethief Park
The Horsethief Park Trail, Forest Service trail 704, starts at a trailhead on CO 67 by an abandoned highway tunnel.
Incline
The Manitou Incline began as a railway to build a pipeline in 1903, became a tourist attraction in 1908.
Iron Mtn
The Intemann Trail has existed, at least in part, for decades, but had a gap because of private property.
Mt. Esther
This trail can be accessed from two trailheads. One is the Crowe Gulch picnic area, on the Pikes Peak Highway.
North Slope
North Slope Recreation Area first opened for recreational use in 1992, and is open May through mid October for fishing, hiking, biking, and picnicking.
Putney Gulch
Friends of the Peak constructed this trail as a connecting link in the Ring the Peak trail system.
Raspberry Trail
This trail starts on the Crags Road, Forest Service 383, and connects to a jeep road, Forest Service 385, behind the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp.
Raspberry Mtn
The Raspberry Mountain trail begins at the Raspberry trailhead for Ring the Peak on the Crags road (FS 383), about half a mile past the Mennonite camp.
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Colorado Springs purchased the Red Rock Canyon area in 2003. The area, south of Garden of the Gods, with similar, though less dramatic, rock formations, has many great hiking and biking trails.
St. Mary’s Falls
Saint Mary’s Falls Trail, Forest Service trail #624, starts at the collapsing tunnel, Tunnel 3, off the closed section of Gold Camp Road and offers trail users a pleasant hike along Buffalo Creek
Section 16
Colorado Mountain Club has adopted the trails in Section 16 for years. But because the area is so popular, the trails receive a lot of wear.
Seven Bridges
This beautiful trail, Forest Service trail #622, running along North Cheyenne Creek, starts where the closed section of Gold Camp Road crosses the creek
Severy Creek
In 1999, a population of threatened greenback cutthroat trout was discovered and the Severy Creek trail was closed to protect the trout.
South Slope
The Watershed Access Advisory Group was organized by Colorado Springs Utilities in 2007 to develop a policy to control access to the watershed on the south slope of Pikes Peak.
If you know of a problem with a trail on Pikes Peak, please let us know and we will evaluate it and see what can be done. Please be aware that this can take time, as we are all volunteers and need approval of the land manager for projects. FOTP’s area is bounded on the north by U.S. 24, west by CO 67, south by Gold Camp Road, and east by 31st. Other Friends groups have adopted some specific areas and trails within these boundaries, and we will pass your information along when appropriate. To report a problem, you can click on “Trail Feedback” at the end of the list of trails, and fill out the form there. Thanks for your concern for the area and your fellow trail users.
