News & Information: The Incline Friends Blog

Newsletter – July 2020

Open and Shut Case

If we used a word for every single step on the Incline we still wouldn’t have enough words to describe the depths of our frustration over the “closure” of the Incline.

Four months have passed since Manitou Springs City Council voted to close the Incline on the pretense of pandemic concerns. Over time it became readily apparent that some members of that council are content to leave the Incline “closed” indefinitely. 

Incline Friends urged users to respect the closure on Facebook and in public comments. We assisted Manitou Springs by providing an ambassador at the base of the Incline on some weekends, encouraging people to use the Barr and Ute Trails instead.

We have consistently worked with elected officials and staff members of both Manitou Springs and Colorado springs in efforts to resolve an impasse between the two sides.

Incline Friends released a position statement on May 28 (available at inclinefriends.org), neither endorsing nor opposing a temporary, no-fee Incline registration system as long as it would be in effect only for the duration of the pandemic.

On June 23, the director of the Colorado Springs Parks department presented a temporary management proposal for the Incline that seemed to address all of the concerns raised by Manitou officials. That proposal was roundly rejected by Manitou’s council. 

As of this writing, the two sides have not reached an agreement but we fully expect the Incline to be open some time before the summer season is over. We will send a brief notification when an official opening date is determined.                               

Some Good News: Trail Connector Near Completion

Workmen leaving the partially constructed Northern Trail at the end of the day.

One problem that has accompanied the Incline’s great popularity (nearly 250,000 uphill users in 2019) is degradation of the Barr Trail. An important step toward alleviating that problem was taken in May when Timberline, the contractor that handled the Incline renovation, began building a connection from Incline step 1300 to the Ute Trail. 

Incline Friends and Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services are sharing the cost of this 1.1-mile connector, which will give Incline users an easy right-turn exit 500 steps below the current “bailout” to the Barr Trail.

Eventually, an additional connection to the top of the Incline is planned, so that people can turn right at the top and descend on the Ute Trail instead of going down Barr or the steps.

We hope that an exit at step 1300, before the steepest section of the Incline, might also reduce the need for of emergency responses.

One of many great views from the new trail. Yes, the water bottle was carried out!

More detail on these connectors is available at https://www.outtherecolorado.com/new-trail-coming-to-manitou-incline-offering-alternative-route-to-summit/.

Follow our communications

We plan to resume producing newsletters every two or three months, but for more frequent communications (especially during the Incline reopening period), follow the Incline Friends Facebook page. Comments and questions are always welcome at inclinefriends@gmail.com.

Use that same e-mail if you’d like to opt out of future communications.

Happy climbing!

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(Editors note, this was intended to be sent on Valentine’s day! But.. better late than never 🙂 )

It seems only fitting that we write this on Valentine’s Day.

The heart figures prominently in all things Incline. First of all, it is a heart-pounding experience. Secondly, despite the grueling challenge it presents, the Incline has found a special place in the hearts of many who love and embrace that challenge. Lastly but certainly not least is the sharing of that love as Incliners have generously and consistently given back to this resource over the years through financial donations, in sweat equity on work projects and being good stewards in picking up litter.

Thanks to your generosity, for the second year in a row Incline Friends, has been able to share that love with our friends and partners at the Rocky Mountain Field Institute. RMFI has been a driving force in the effort to restore and stabilize the Barr Trail as well as doing maintenance work on the trail connecting the top of the Incline to the Barr. Anyone who has used the Barr consistently in recent years knows that it has taken a beating, that is to say, it has been severely degraded.

At the same time, RMFI has seen it’s funding for this project dwindle. After a big 2018 decrease in the previous contribution from the city of Manitou Springs, city officials have indicated they will likely not offer any assistance in 2019.

The Incline Friends Board of Directors considers the Barr Trail, particularly the lower 3 miles that get the most use, to be part of the Incline “corridor.”

In 2018 IF contributed $10,000 to RMFI’s Barr Trail Improvement project. This year, in response to a RMFI request, the BOD voted unanimously to donate $5,000 to that project with a provision for a maximum of another $5,000 in matching funds should RMFI be able to secure additional funding. RMFI’s current project proposal includes 18 work days on the Barr Trail to commence in the fall of 2019 when there is less traffic on the trail.

With the Barr Trail in mind, the major focus of Incline Friends remains construction of northern trails off of the Incline, connecting up with the Ute Trail, trails that we believe will have the potential to substantially reduce traffic on the Barr. On February 14 we expressed this intention to the Colorado Springs Parks Board along with our commitment to fund the construction of two such trails, a commitment we had previously mentioned to members of the parks department. It is our fervent hope to get these two trails completed in 2019. To review, the Incline Master Plan, developed in 2011 includes three northern trails. As it stands now our efforts would involve a trail breaking off the Incline at roughly tie # 655 and another around tie # 1300. The third trail would take hikers from the top of the Incline to the north, again connecting to the Ute trail. The top portion of that trail would be on U.S. Forest Service Land and will require coordinating the effort with that agency.

Lastly, our re-designed web site should be ready to go live sometime in March and we will be sure to let you know when that happens, in the hope that you will find it useful and a good source of information.

As always, we are grateful for your continued support.

Be safe out there.

Excelsior!