One step closer to opening Manitou Incline
Money for a Master Plan means plans to open Manitou Incline can go forward. Great Outdoors Colorado is providing a $70,500 grant along with a $25,000 donation from philanthropist Lyda Hill for planning. Trails and Open Space Advocacy Director Bill Koerner is a member of the Task Force that will use the next six to nine months and come up with a plan for the “opening” process. The land is owned by Colorado Springs Utilities, the U.S. Forest Service and the Cog Railway. The Incline is not open to the public, although as many as 70,000 use it each year. The grants will be used for planning purposes. Opening the trail will likely require more money. The task force will work with Colorado Springs Trails,Open Space and Parks as well as Manitou officials. Their first meeting is January 14th and is not open to the public, although public meetings will follow.
The Manitou Incline is hard to miss. All you have to do is look west and notice the vertical scar running from the Manitou Springs real estate area up to the base of Pikes Peak. It’s a Colorado Springs legend that has claimed a certain celebrity throughout the entire country. Did you know that it is not technically open to the public though?
The Trails and Open Space Coalition has been working toward making the Incline a public trail for several decades. They were finally awarded a substantial grant this year to develop a masterplan that will include a Task Force whose sole purpose will be to develop a strategy to open the trail to the public. They have several challenges ahead of them in that the Incline runs through three separate properties that are owned by the Cog Railroad, Colorado Springs Utilities, and the U.S. Forest Service. Their first meeting will be in two weeks, and I can’t wait to see the results of their efforts. The Manitou Incline is a treasure to the entire Colorado Springs real estate area. It blends the history of Colorado Springs with the active outdoor lifestyle that Colorado Springs residents crave. The Incline should be preserved and officially opened to the public. I wish the Task Force good luck, and look forward to seeing you on the Incline this spring!
