Bear Creek Watershed Trails Could be Closed
While this isn’t Manitou Incline news, it affects trails in the Colorado Springs area. The Forest Service is proposing closing 3.5 miles of trails along Bear Creek near Jones Park because of greenback cutthroat trout.
There is an open house tonight, Thursday, April 4th. You can also provide comments through email, by fax or through snail mail through the end of the month. Get the details on the UltraRob blog.
Manitou Incline Dedication Ceremony
Although the Incline has been legal to hike since February 1st, there will be an official dedication on April 1st at 10 AM. From Manitou Springs government website:
The Mt. Manitou Incline is officially open for Recreational Use
After years in the making, the Mt. Manitou Incline is officially open for recreational use. Join Senator Michael Bennet, Congressman Doug Lamborn, Colorado Springs City Council President Scott Hente and Manitou Springs Mayor Marc Snyder in officially dedicating this popular trail. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for April 1 at 10 a.m. at the base of the Incline, located on Ruxton Avenue. The public is invited and welcome to come celebrate the community’s newest “legal” recreational amenity.
Surely one of the most challenging recreation sites in the nation, the Mt. Manitou Incline is a former cable-car route turned trail located at the former site of the Mt. Manitou Scenic Railway in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The trail is a one-mile ascent with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet. The average grade is 41%, reaching 68% at the steepest point.
For the past two years the Cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs have been working collaboratively at the local and federal level on issues that needed to be addressed prior to authorizing recreational use of the Incline. Actions required prior to this authorization included multiple agreements between agencies; a US Forest Service Special Use Permit that required federal legislation – pushed through Congress by Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Lamborn – to officially abandon the corridor as a railroad; important safety improvements to the Barr Trailhead, Base of the Incline Trailhead and the trail itself including debris and hazardous rebar removal and tie stabilization; and parking management and regulations. In addition, a citizen advocacy and fundraising group, The Incline Friends, was created in 2011 to implement education and fundraising efforts surrounding the Incline.
Free seasonal shuttle to the Incline
Beginning May 19, a new seasonal Manitou downtown shuttle will provide free rides from Memorial Park to all the surface parking lots in downtown Manitou Springs and will loop around at the Iron Springs Chateau on Ruxton Avenue, just below the Incline trailhead. The Shuttle will run every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily though September 7. The shuttle is funded by a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments to the City of
Manitou Springs and is operated by Mountain Metropolitan Transit. The funding will allow the seasonal shuttle to operate for two years.
The Incline Friends Fundraising Efforts
The Incline Friends will be hosting several fundraising events during 2013 to raise money to make repairs to the incline, including an “ask” breakfast with Olympic athletes on Wednesday, April 17. Enjoy a breakfast of champions among world class athletes and fellow Incline enthusiasts. Join the Incline Friends at the Double Tree World Arena from 7 to 8:30 a.m. to help preserve and enrich the Incline experience. The Incline Friends is a 501(c)(3) organization. More information can be found at
www.inclinefriends.com.
History of the Mt. Manitou Incline
Completed in 1907, the Manitou Incline was a 1-mile cable tram built to support the construction of a hydroelectric plant and its waterline. After performing this service the railway was then purchased by Dr. Brumbach and turned into a tourist attraction. The Incline boasted a 16-minute ride to “scenic splendors”, 10 miles of hiking trails in Mount Manitou Park, and claimed to be the “longest and highest incline on the globe.”
Despite being substantially privately owned with public access prohibited, the Incline is one of the most popular hikes in the region attracting an estimate minimum 350,000 user trips annually. This popularity continues to grow. Nearly 20 years of unmanaged trespass and use of the Incline have resulted in significant erosion on the mountainside, dangerous trail conditions, user/neighborhood conflicts, and traffic congestion and uncontrolled parking. In 2010 the three property owners, Colorado Springs
Utilities, the COG Railway, and the US Forest Service, and the Cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs agreed that serious safety and liability issues as well as the trail’s conditions and impacts on nearby neighborhoods called for development of a Site Development and Management Plan to address these issues, to allow the Incline to open for legal use and to capitalize on the Incline’s benefits. After two years of working together locally, with legislative support at the federal level from Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Doug Lamborn, the Incline is now officially open and legal for recreational use.
Incline Hike February 24, 2013
I hiked up the Incline late Sunday afternoon. There was a small amount of fresh snow from in the morning but it was no longer snowing.
On the lower part, I could see ice under the snow from where the sun had melted the snow on Saturday. The upper part was just snow packed. Even though there wasn’t much new snow, there was still the most snow I’ve seen on the Incline this winter as there is still snow from the last couple storms.
The social trail to Barr Trail and Barr Trail were pretty much like the Incline. Where the sun hit it on Saturday, there was ice under the fresh snow and where it had been shaded it was just snow packed.
It’s definitely not safe to be doing the Incline in these conditions without traction devices. If you don’t have any, check out Yaktrax, Kahtoola Microspikes or Stabilicers Lite.
Below are photos from the hike.
Snowy Incline 2013
After a dry winter, the snows the last couple weeks have finally made the Incline snowy and icy. The rules for the Manitou Incline don’t address conditions on the Incline. They do however say the Incline is an extreme trail and you use it at your own risk.
The awesome photo above was taken this morning, February 22nd, 2013, by Incline regular Roger Austin. It shows just how snowy the Incline is now. It will only get icier and more slippery as the snow melts and refreezes. With the current forecast, it looks like parts of the Incline and Barr Trail will be icy for at least the next week and probably longer.
To be safe hiking in these conditions you’ll need traction devices such as Stabilicers Lite, Yaktrax or Kahtoola Microspikes. If you want something cheaper but more work, you can use Matt Carpenter’s instruction for creating screw shoes. Whatever you choose to give you traction, first try them out on a less extreme trail than the Incline.
You can see more of Roger’s photos from this morning on PikesPeakSports. You can also check out some snowy Incline photos from December 2011.
No Trespassing Sign Photo Op
The Incline Friends are giving you an opportunity this weekend to get your photo with the Manitou Incline No Trespassing sign. The sign was removed the end of January with the Incline becoming legal on February 1st.
This Saturday and Sunday, February 23rd and 24th, the Incline Friends will have the old Manitou Incline No Trespassing sign at the bottom of the Incline from 7 AM until 11 AM. For putting $5 into the donation tube, they’ll take your picture alongside the sign.
They’ll e-mail it to you or they can use your camera if you like. No limit to the number of people in the shot so bring your friends. This will be your last opportunity to get a photo with the sign and the Incline before it’s retired to the Pioneers Museum.
The snows the last couple weeks has finally made the Incline truly snowy and icy. If you plan on heading up the Incline after getting a photo, be very careful. Make sure you have traction devices such as Yaktrax, Kahtoola Microspikes or Stabilicers Lite.
Manitou Incline February 10, 2013
I made my first legal trek up the Manitou Incline late this afternoon. It snowed off and on as I hiked. Although it didn’t snow much Wednesday night, there was ice from that storm under the small amount of new snow on the upper section of the Incline.
Going down the social trail to Barr Trail there was a section where it looked like people had sat down and slid. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. It definitely is good idea to have traction devices in these conditions. If you don’t have any, check out the Kahtoola Microspikes, Yaktrax and Stabilicers Lite.
Here are some photos from today.
UpaDowna Incline Happy Hour
This is the first Thursday since the Manitou Incline was legalized. It means there will be the first legal UpaDowna Incline Happy hour. However until time change next month, the dawn to dusk rule will be broken.
The Incline Happy Hour was started a few years ago by the great folks at UpaDowna. Their motto is “Up a Mountain, Downa a Beer”. Their goal is to get more people in the outdoors.
Now that the Manitou Incline is legal, UpaDowna is encouraging more people to join them. They start at the bottom tie of the Incline (directions) at 6 PM and hike to the top of the Incline.
The hike takes place year round but know your limitations as the Incline can get icy and treacherous in the winter. It’s a self paced hike and not a race. It doesn’t matter what your fitness level. Generally people hang out at the top for a bit and then most head down Barr Trail.
Until time change you’ll need a headlamp to be able to see in the dark. You can also get by with a flashlight but then your hands aren’t free for balance.
Afterwards head to Kinfolks Mountain Shop in Manitou Springs. Enjoy one of the micro brews they have on tap or us hang out with other outdoor lovers. It’s located just east of Ruxton at 950 Manitou Avenue.
Although it’s free to join the Incline Happy Hour, you need to register and sign the waiver on Eventbrite. Not only is it a fun time, but there may be prizes for signing up and staying motivated throughout the year.
Manitou Incline Officially Legal
From Pikes Peak Sports:
With one quick swing on Friday morning, Colorado Springs city councilman Scott Hente smashed a bottle of sparkling apple cider across the old “No Trespassing” sign and the Manitou Incline became legal for all to enjoy.
Members of the nonprofit Incline Friends group, special guests and early morning Incline hikers joined a media frenzy for the official opening.
Hente ha pushed for years for the Incline to become legal and he was there to “christen” a new era for the old railway bed. “We know that this is an important day for the people of the Pikes Peak Region and I just want to encourage people to enjoy this recreational activity,” Hente saud.
He pointed to the economic impact that the Incline is expected to have, and encouraged Incline hikers to support businesses in Manitou Springs.
“It’s a huge economic engine for the entire Pikes Peak Region,” Hente said. “I encourage everyone when you get done to have breakfast, a beer, both, at a Manitou restaurant. This is a huge economic activity for Pikes Peak and it exemplifies all of the recreational activities we like to do.”
Hente was joined by Steve Bremner, Incline Friends president, who worked for years to help complete the Manitou Incline Management Plan.
“It has been four years since we started the management plan and two years since we finished the plan,” Bremner said. “But we’re finally legal, Feb. 1, 2013.”
Unfamiliar Incline View
Fortunately the rumors that the Manitou Incline No Trespassing sign had been stolen turned out to be false. Before someone actually did steal it for a souvenir of the illegal Incline years, the sign was removed yesterday. The sign will be donated to the Pioneers Museum or some other local museum.
Tomorrow, February 1st, the Incline will be legal to hike starting at dawn. The Incline Friends are doing a celebratory hike. To join them be at the bottom of the Incline at 7 AM. Directions to the Manitou Incline trailhead are here.
Legalized After Long Climb!
Last night the Manitou Springs city council voted 6-0 for the resolution allowing recreational use of the Manitou Incline. Now there’s only a couple days left for normally law abiding citizens to break the law by trespassing on the Incline. The Manitou Incline will be legal for hiking starting Friday, February 1st at dawn.
The Incline Friends are planing a celebratory hike of the Incline Friday morning at 7 AM. Meet at the bottom of the Incline to join them. An official celebration is being planned in March.
Many thousands of hikers and fitness enthusiasts have passed by the no trespassing sign on the Manitou Incline. This first no trespassing sign was put on the Incline in the summer of 1999. The first sign was right in the middle of the tracks and kept being pulled out.
The following summer the metal sign that is familiar to so many people was installed and was more to the side instead of right in the middle. Whether it was because the sign was to the side or it was installed better, that sign has withstood over a decade of trespassers.
There were a few years when the metal sign had a red and white sign bolted over it. It eventually disappeared and it was back to the bare metal no trespassing sign.
The sign belongs to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and is to be donated to The Pioneer Museum. There was a rumor that the no trespassing sign that has stood for so many years didn’t quite survive to the opening of the Incline and disappeared over the weekend. Fortunately the rumor seems to be false and there are plans to remove it before it does disappear.
