Manitou Incline

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Cathy

Distance: 2.2 – 4.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 2011 feet
Trailhead: 6600 feet
Hiking time: 30 minutes, more or less, depending on your fitness level and your effort to push yourself
Difficulty: Strenuous
Season: All seasons
Hike type: One way up and/or back
Near: Manitou Springs, CO
Direction:

Option #1 – From Colorado Springs, take the US 24 W and exit at Manitou Springs. Turn west to Manitou Ave. Turn left on Ruxton Ave and continue onto Hydro Street until you reach the trailhead. From Manitou Springs, take Business 24 through this town. Turn southwest on Ruxton Ave. toward the Cog Railway. Park at the Barr Trail parking lot if not full. Otherwise, parking on the side of Ruxton Ave. may be your next best option. Make sure that you find a legal parking space to avoid getting a ticket. Avoid the Cog Railway parking, for your car will be towed. Since is a sensitive issue, your car will not go unnoticed.
Option #2 - From Colorado Springs, take the US 24 W and exit at Manitou Springs. Turn west to Manitou Ave. Turn left on Ruxton Ave and continue onto Hydro Street until you reach the trailhead. From Manitou Springs, take Business 24 through this town. Turn southwest on Ruxton Ave. Take the first right onto Capitol Hill Ave. Continue onto Church St./Montcalm St. and continue following on Montcalm St. Turn left on Pilot Knob Ave. and stay left at the fork. Turn right onto Hydro St. and find your parking spot.

Description: The Incline was built as a transportation for a cable car, carrying materials for pipelines, to go to and from Pikes Peak. It later turned into a tourist attraction until 1990 when a rock slide damaged a section of track. The Incline became closed and the rails were removed. Manitou Incline isn’t open to the public, but it became a popular trail for all ages. Although it is a strenuous trail, kids are often seen there.

During the warm climate, the heat can take a toll on our bodies. I strongly recommend that you bring enough cold water, wear a hat and use sunscreen. Wear ultra light weight shirt and shorts, especially in summertime. This way, you’d enjoy your hike.

Click here to see Our Blog for this hike

North Face Summer Gear - Altrec Outdoors

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Seven Bridges

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Cathy

Distance: 3.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Trailhead: 7510 feet
Hiking time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Season: Spring to fall
Hike type: One way out and back
Near: Helen Hunt Falls, Pike National Park
Direction: Coming south on I-25, take exit 140 and get on Cheyenne Blvd via S Tejon St. Drive all the way until you reach N. Cheyenne Canyon Rd.. Drive all the way through past Helen Hunt falls until you reach parking lot at intersection with Gold Camp Rd.

Description: From the parking lot, walk on the Old Gold Camp Road, which is a 0.75 mile narrow dirt road leading toward the start of the official trail. Unfortunately, taking this route would miss the bridge #1. However, this route leads toward to where the sign is posted, saying “Jones Park – 2.0 miles.” From this spot, go up to the left trail and stay on the left. (The trail on the right is Buckhorn Trail.) The trail then crisscrosses the South Cheyenne Creek over a series of six wooden bridges.

This trail offers a lot of scenery of aspen and coniferous trees and wildflowers. Lots of shade allows you find many nice lunch spots to choose from. The sound of the creek brings a sense of peace and calmness. Families with children and dogs can hike here, just keep an eye out for any passing bicyclists. Since this trail is one of the popular ones, it may best to hike on a weekday to avoid the crowding.

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Mt. Sanitas – Info

Posted on March 5, 2011 by root

Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 1255 feet
Trailhead: 5520 feet
Hiking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Season: All seasons
Hike type: Loop
Near: Boulder, CO
Direction: In Boulder, drive north on Broadway Blvd. and turn left (west) onto Mapleton Ave. Passing the hospital on your right side, drive about five blocks further and park on the north side of the road. The trailhead is located on the same side of this road.

Description: Keep in mind that there are several trails meeting this loop, so always look out for the signs and follow them to avoid hiking at a wrong trail. Bring enough water with you, especially during a warm climate.

Starting from the trailhead located on the Mapleton Road, the wide, graveled pathway leads toward the Mt. Sanitas West Ridge trail, where you find the log steps and then continue on the rugged trail, which eventually joins the Sanitas Valley Trail. These trails mark as a ridge line of Mt. Sanitas, giving you both views of Boulder City on your right and the Indian Peaks area on your left, which marks the beauty of this hike.

The Sanitas Valley Trail contains the sandstone slabs, Ponderosa pine trees and bouldering areas. You would see friendly hikers and dog-walkers, the athletics running, and climbers on the bouldering spots. This hike is moderately difficult as it requires a lot of legwork uphill, which may be difficult for beginners or those who are a bit out of shape. But reaching to the Mt. Sanitas summit will reward you with a panoramic view of the Indian Peaks, the city of Boulder, lower foothills and eastern plains. During sunny days, this view is breathtaking and definitely worth the hike.

Crossing north over this summit, the trail leads gets challenging, especially if it’s wet with melted snow or muddy, and requires cautious footing. We recommend wearing gloves and keep both hands free in case of fall, as this trail becomes steep, rugged and rocky. This trail gets tricky, so continue looking out for the Sanitas Valley trail signs and follow them. Hiking down the large boulders, the trail leads toward the graveled trail through spacious hills east of Mt. Sanitas. Over a mile and a half of walking on this path will lead toward the end of the loop on the Mapleton Road.

Keep your camera close to you for you may have an opportunity to spot animals, including deers, foxes and coyote. Although it’s rare, beware of any possible encounter with mountain lions and bears, especially if you are hiking at dawn or dusk. Since it gets dark fast at dusk, we recommend wearing a headlamp and flashlight(s) or glow sticks. Going in a group of hikers instead of alone is also safer.

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Barr Trail – Info

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Cathy

Distance: 25.8 miles (round-trip)
Elevation Gain: 7,400 feet
Trailhead: 6,570 feet
Hiking time: 9-14 hours
Difficulty: Difficult
Season: Best to hike between April October
Hike type: Out and back
Near: Manitou Springs
Direction: From Colorado Springs, take the US 24 W and exit at Manitou Springs. Turn west to Manitou Ave. Turn left on Ruxton Ave. and continue onto Hydro Street until you reach the trail head. You need to know that due to the popularity of this trail parking can be difficult. You can park on Ruxton Ave. below the Cog Railroad Depot, just make sure you don’t use the parking lot for the Cog Railway.

Description: The well-signed trailhead starts with the stairs and then the W’s section begins, which contains the thirteen switchbacks. We started at 5:30 pm, and the trail is visible and easy to follow. The beginning of the trail has a considerable incline so with our backpacks weighing between 10 and 15 lbs it was tough and our legs got a workout. The fifth, seventh and ninth switchbacks are longer and a bit steeper than the others. When you reach the spot where the Manitou Incline meets the trail you can see the pretty glittering city lights to the south while being surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountain. There were plenty of friendly people at this point, hikers, dog walkers and a number of kids running downhill having a ball. Beware however of the bicyclists they seem to appear unexpectedly.

We hiked up further, about a mile, and the switchback led us toward the south side of the mountain where we caught our first peek of the Pikes Peak ridge which was completely covered with snow, just beautiful. It was tempting to add the ridge to a future hike. At this point the sky was darkening so we decide it was time to turn around and hike back down to the parking lot. It was an adventure for Cathy as it was her first time to hike in the dark. It was dark enough that we needed headlamps a flashlight would work too. It was helpful hearing the sounds of other hikers as it let us know that we were still on the established trail and not heading off into the unknown.

Stay tuned for our next story which will be our seven mile hike to Barr camp and back.

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Click here to read our blog about our camping experience at Barr Camp

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Waldo Canyon Trail – Info

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Cathy

Distance: 7 miles (round-trip)
Elevation Gain: 2000 feet
Trailhead: 7000 feet
Hiking time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate-Intermediate
Season: Best time to hike, from April to October. Hiking & backpacking
Hike type: Out and back
Near: Cascade, CO; Manitou Springs, CO
Directions: From Colorado Springs, take US Highway 24 west. Pass Manitou Springs about 7.5 miles and there is a parking area alongside the highway. You will see a wooden sign and a post-and-rail fence, marking the trailhead. Arrive early, the parking area fills up quickly, especially during the weekends.

Description: The first 1.5 miles of this trail leads through the folds of the hills. During the spring and summer months, you will encounter wild flowers, lots of birds and some very pretty views. In the winter, there is a sharp contrast between the west and east side of the hills that line the trail. The east side is dominated by scrub oak while the west side of the trail has groves of Gambol oak, spruce and Lodgepole pines. The trail starts with a triple switchback of landscaped stairs after which the pathway leads to the spot where the post is located. This area is a great photo opp. You will continue walking south toward the inner part of the hill; its an established trail easy to follow. There are, however, side trails that you should avoid so as not to pose a threat to the wildlife and their habitat. Our keeping to the main trail will insure that it remains open for future hikes.

After passing the folds of the hills, the trail leads you the entry of the woods, and you will notice a meadow on the right. Not too far from this spot, the trail meets the 3.5-mile loop. At this point, you have two choices: the East trail on the right or the North trail to your left.

The right trail leads you toward the beginning of several switchbacks. Hikers, who are interested in working on their buttocks, hamstrings and especially the calves, should choose this trail because the first mile starts with a sandy trail. Next, it changes to a gravel trail, and then to a rugged trail filled with loose rocks. Cautious footing is required though to prevent slipping or twisting an ankle.
The trail to the left leads you deeper into the woods between two large hills. Travis and I chose this trail. The trail crosses the stream several times, which was easy enough to negotiate. I was mindful though to try and keep my shoes dry to prevent slipping on the rocks. Down the path, we sure did enjoy the scenery of the Ponderosa pines, the limestone cliffs, and scrub oak trees. You could see the early signs of spring in the foliage.

Suggestions:

Before taking this hike, make sure to have plenty of water. We recommend bring a hydration pack, such as the one we have: Osprey Manta 25 Hydration Pack

Also, the 7-mile trail changes from a flat terrain to steep inclines and declines over hard surfaces and gravel surfaces. So, wearing the proper “comfortable” footwear is very important. Though I love my hiking boots, they were not suitable for this long hike, and I wounded up experiencing a painful heel injury. Therefore, after some research and seeing the positive feedback from other hikers, I bought a pair of Asolo Matrix Attiva GTX hiking boots at a REI store.

On a safety note: Female hikers should always go with a group of one or more friends.