Skip to Content

Citizen effort underway to address concerns on Gold Camp, Old Stage Roads in mountains above Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A coalition of ranchers, outfitters, non-profits organizations, residents, and outdoor enthusiasts has recently formed to raise awareness of and resolve problems on two popular unpaved mountain roads above the city's southwest side.

Facebook

The group is called Friends of Old Stage and Gold Camp Roads, with its purpose to preserve and enhance the roads dating back to the late 1880s that are commonly used by hikers, drivers and cyclists as a convenient place to experience and enjoy the Pike National Forest.

KRDO

Friends is getting support from a larger umbrella organization, the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, to address issues such as illegal target shooting, trash dumping, homeless camps, graffiti, illegal drug use and abandoned campfires.

Facebook

Some people live or own property along the roads; Gold Camp road also connects to Teller County.

KRDO

Jim Johnson, who lives on the Teller County side of Gold Camp Road and is a Friends member, said that the issues have existed for at least the past three years and appear to be worsening.

KRDO

"Last month, a body was found on Old Stage Road," he said.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said that a man's body, discovered on the afternoon of June 10, has been identified as Manuel Armando Hernandez-Uribe, 30; his cause of death has not been released and the case remains under investigation.

KRDO

"Teller County (assigned) two deputies on (their side of ) Gold Camp Road," Johnson explained. "So there are two full-time deputies there now, and we believe (their presence has) pushed the bad behavior into El Paso County."

Friends considers illegal shooting to be the biggest threat, and it led to an early closure last weekend at the Old Stage Riding Stables.

KRDO

"Just some campers who were illegally camping, were shooting all sorts of guns, illegal guns, not caring where they were shooting, into the valley where our trails are," said stables co-owner Jenny Lehn. "The bullets were whizzing right over their heads. It was scary."

KRDO

She said that no one was hurt but a dozen riders and their guides immediately dismounted their horses for safety reasons and were driven back to the stables.

KRDO

"We called the sheriff's office and they weren't as helpful as we hoped they'd be," Lehn said. "But a Forest Service ranger came out later, found the shooters and cited them."

Friends said that another source of frustration is that the jurisdictional lines for deputies and rangers is are unclear -- and even if they weren't, those agencies don't have enough resources to regularly patrol such a remote area.

KRDO

Rachel Cronin and her family recently acquired property along Old Stage Road and plan to build a home there; she said that she personally placed dozens of signs along the road near her parcel that reads: Safety Zone, No Trespassing, No Shooting.

KRDO

"It's very concerning, as a mom of two kids, to feel safe on my own private property," she said. "We're awakened many times at night by people shooting outside their cars. This is becoming more of a residential area as more people are buying land and building. But that can only happen if it's safe."

KRDO

Friends has a goal of raising $250,000 in donations that would pay for hiring two El Paso County deputies to patrol those roads specifically; install informative signs and clean up damaged areas.

Facebook

"We'd need that much for a budget every year," Johnson said. "So we're also going to apply for grant funding. All of the undesirable and illegal activity is getting too close to people, and that's dangerous."

Around $25,000 has been raised so far, he said.

"The other concern with shooting is that they can start fires and that puts the entire southwest side of the Colorado Springs at risk," Johnson said.

The sheriff's office said that calls for service in the area have not increased significantly over the past 18 months, with 408 total calls but only 56 resulting in actual cases.

KRDO

The Forest Service said that it has limited information about the situation and will investigate further.

Johnson said that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more people coming to the area.

Article Topic Follows: Top Stories

Jump to comments ↓

Scott Harrison

Scott is a reporter for KRDO. Learn more about Scott here.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content