Top section of Barr Trail temporarily closed due to construction on new Summit House

PIKES PEAK, Colo. (KRDO) -- Due to the construction on the new Pikes Peak Summit House, major changes are temporarily being made to the Barr Trail.

Jack Glavan, a manager at Pikes Peak, says they are still trying to make their 2021 deadline.

“Looking at the March, April timeframe of 2021. So, that’s our goal right now," Glavan said. "The weather delays we’ve had over the past couple years has had the schedule slip a little bit.”

Due to the construction being done, they are having to close the Barr Trail near the top of the mountain, which is something they were hoping to avoid.

“We were hoping that we could keep alternates open but there are some big cut-and-fills up there that they have to do as well as installing micropyles, beams, and planks for the walkway we are building,” said Glavan.

With the help of GE Johnson, as well as the U.S. Forest Service, they were able to come up with an alternate route.

Glavan said, “It’s going to add a little bit of hiking for those people, just about a mile we think. But as we come up to the end of Barr Trail you will go down the cog railroad tracks that they have torn up so you have a road bed there. Go all the way down to our 19-mile point and then you are going to be allowed to hike on the shoulder of the highway back up to the summit.”

The good news is, Glavan doesn’t expect the closure to last for long. They hope to open it back up by mid July.

“There is construction up there, we got to get it done this summer and it’s going to be a temporary closure a very minor inconvenience in the scheme of things.”

As for Covid-19, it has not played a factor in the construction of the summit house, although America’s Mountain is seeing about 25% less traffic than it normally would at this time.

Glavan also mentioned that signs will be posted reminding people of the new alternate route. But just be prepared it will add about an extra mile onto your trek.