Multiple trail projects begin in North Cheyenne Cañon Park

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PRCS) has begun multiple trail projects in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, including the extension of the Ladders Trail and the formalization of the Penrose and Captain Morgans trails. 

According to the City of Colorado Springs, the 2.5-mile addition to the Ladders Trail will provide a multi-use, multi-directional connection from the Middle Columbine Trail to Captain Jacks Trail, Gold Camp Road, and Stratton Open Space. The project will also include the installation of a custom-built timber bridge that will allow bike traffic on Captain Morgans to cross above the new Ladders Trail. This feature will allow for a safe interchange between the two trails west of Gold Camp Road, the city said.

The city said that during the project, work will also be done to sanction the multi-use, multi-direction Penrose Trail and the bike-only Captain Morgans Trail. Both are currently social trails and are not maintained by the city. Improvements will be made to formally adopt these trails into the PRCS trail system. 

According to the city, funding sources for this project include $140,000 from the Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART), the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) Tax, and the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon. The interchange feature is also partially funded by the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation’s Stewardship Fund that includes a portion of registration fees from small fundraising events and the Pikes Peak APEX, presented by RockShox. COSMBA (Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association), a local mountain biking group will assist with improving the Captain Morgans Trail, the city said.

The city said Gold Camp Road between the northern park entrance in the Upper Skyway Neighborhood to the paved North Cheyenne Cañon Trailhead (west of Helen Hunt Falls) is closed to public vehicles at this time but remains accessible to hikers and bikers. All vehicles must access North Cheyenne Cañon Park including the North Cheyenne Cañon Trailhead via North Cheyenne Canyon Road. Crews will also be working on road maintenance during the closure and anticipate that the road will reopen to vehicles by mid-April. Once Gold Camp Road reopens, parks staff expects that there will only be a few occurrences in which the road will need to close for a short duration of time throughout the project.

For more information including project updates and road closures, visit ColoradoSprings.gov/LaddersTrail.