August 2014

Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon August 16 & 17, 2014

Pikes Peak Ascent on Barr Trail

Photo by Evan Sanders

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.

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Red Mountain Incline Exhibit

Red Mountain Incline

The Manitou Incline isn’t the only incline that was built in Manitou Springs. An incline railway on Red Mountain operated intermittently from 1912 to 1922 and is associated with the famed story of Emma Crawford. There was a bar and dance floor at the top.

Manitou Springs Heritage Center volunteer David Walker has assembled information, photos and artifacts from the Heritage Center’s archives and other collections. “It was a challenge tracking down information on the Red Mountain Incline. Compared to the more famous Manitou Incline, it was almost like this second funicular railway didn’t want to be found.” stated Walker. “A last minute find of images in the Old Colorado City History Center and Tom Daniels collections was like striking gold!”

As part of Manitou’s Third Friday ArtWalk, tonight the Manitou Springs Heritage Center is opening its newest exhibit titled “Red Mountain – Manitou’s Other Incline”. The exhibit opening will be from 5-8 PM, Friday, August 15th. The Manitou Springs Heritage Center is located at 517 Manitou Avenue.

The same evening anyone looking for something to do after the Third Friday ArtWalk can find out “What Goes Bump in the Night” during a Paranormal Investigation hosted by the Heritage Center. Participants will go ghost hunting with the experienced, Manitou-based Haunted Dimensions team of investigators using their equipment. Tickets are $10 and participants meet at the Center at 10 pm. No reservations are necessary.

For more information and contact info, check out the Manitou Springs Heritage Center website.

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Manitou Incline Erosion from Summer Rains

Manitou Incline Erosion at the Barr Bail Trail

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.

Hydro Plant Pipe Exposed on InclineI 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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