Horseback Riding in the Pikes Peak Region

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Riding the (Front) Range by Judi Tobias

As you can imagine, there are lots of wonderful places to ride your horse along the Front Range of Colorado; the trick is to find them.

What follows is a group of rides I have enjoyed over the years. Before starting to describe the rides, let me give you a couple of hints on how to make trail riding safer and more enjoyable.

Etiquette

First, take a rake and shovel along in your horse trailer. Clean up the manure from your parking area. Sometimes you can scatter the manure in the nearby flora, but sometimes your best bet is to put it in your trailer or a bag and take it home with you. In some of the riding areas you can even be fined if you don't do this. Find out about the local rules for the area you are visiting.

Second, in many areas, especially in national forests and state parks and wildlife areas, you must use certified weed free hay or pelletized feed for your horse. The certified hay is usually available from your local feed store.

Third, wherever you ride, but particularly on private property, be sure to leave gates as you find them. Leaving a gate open so someone's stock gets out is a serious matter.

General trail etiquette

Safety

Try to ride with a partner. If you must ride alone, let someone know where you plan to ride and approximately how long you will be gone. Some people tell me if they ride alone, they carry a whistle so they can call for help if they are injured.

Always lock your vehicle, including your horse trailer.

Put an identification tag on your horse and carry one on your person.

I always carry a hoof pick, a Swiss army knife and a roll of vetwrap along. They take up very little room in a pack and can really come in handy.

I haven't mentioned riding helmets. I realized that is a very personal matter, but the newer trail helmets are very light and ventilated for comfort and I have personally seen them save lives countless times.

Comfort

Comfort is important, too. A minimum to carry along, even on a short ride is water, lip moisturizer and rain gear. I always like to carry a couple of pieces of hard candy or a granola bar along.

Horse comfort needs to be a consideration. The old saying is, "no feet, no horse." In this case, that means putting shoes on your horse. Most of the trails in the area are rocky and the soils are abrasive to hooves. So shoes are a must. In the winter, many of the trails are icy, so if you plan to ride in the winter (and there are some beautiful winter days when you will want to be out on the trail) use borium shoes for traction.

Trails

Air Force Academy

The top place on my list to go is the Air Force Academy. There are miles of trails there and it is very accessible. You will usually see all kinds of wildlife and the flowers in season are wonderful. To get to the parking area, go in the South Gate and go north to Pine Drive. Take Pine Drive to Pine Loop (there is a blinking light there); go left. Take the first right and go about 3 blocks. You will see a small brown sign that says "stables". Turn left and follow the road to the T intersection; go right. At the bottom of the hill on the left by the hay barn is trailer-in parking. There is an honor box where you pay a $5/day fee. Yearly passes for the bargain price of $50 are available at the office.

The trail from the parking area goes either east or west along the creek and from there there are lots of options. If you go west as far as the fire station road and follow it west you can pick up Forest Service Trail 713 which goes to Rampart Reservoir and all the trails in the national forest.

If you go east toward Ice Lake you will come to the perimeter road and it will take you on a loop around the south boundary of the Academy. There are great views. If you turn left when you hit the perimeter road and continue north through the gate and go right across the railroad tracks, you can pick up the New Santa Fe Trail which you can ride all the way to Palmer Lake if you choose.

New Santa Fe Regional Trail

The prettiest part is on the Air Force Academy. There isn't a lot of horse water on it, but it is a great place to condition your horse. It's relatively flat and the gravel surface is good. You will meet a lot of bicycles, runners, and walkers, especially on weekends. The one minus about this trail is that in many places it is very close to the railroad tracks. If your horse gets upset by a train, I suggest you dismount and wait it out. Another tricky spot is at North Gate where the trail is on an overpass over the road. Again, if you are nervous, or your horse is, about this, you could get off and lead over this area.

As I mentioned earlier, you can go as far north as Palmer Lake. The distance is about 14 miles. This is an up and back trail rather than a loop, so you may want to leave a trailer at one end and start from the other end to ride here. You can park a trailer at Ice Lake, North Gate, and at Baptist Road. Ice Lake and Baptist Road have rest rooms.

Black Forest Trails

Black Forest has several nice easy trails. None of them are very long and all are within easy driving distance. The easiest trail is the new Partnership Trail around the perimeter of Black Forest Section 16. This trail is relatively flat and you can ride around it in 1- 1 and 1/2 hours. The flowers are lovely in the summer and there are lots of large pine trees. There are a few boggy spots on the trail but you can get around them easily. The footing is all sand, so shoes for your horse aren't necessary. There are two trailheads on this trail. The best one is just west of the corner of Burgess and Vollmer Roads on the north side of Burgess Road. There is a porta-potty there but no water source. The other trailhead is on Vollmer Road about 1/4 mile north of the intersection with Burgess.

Both Fox Run Park and Black Forest Regional Park have equestrian trails. Both have sandy trails and shoes are not necessary.

Fox Run Regional Park is in northern El Paso County. Take Hwy. 83 to North Gate Road; go west to Rollercoaster Road. The parking area is on the west side of Rollercoaster just south of the intersection with Baptist Road. There is a rest room and water there. These are lovely trails with some hills to keep it interesting. Horses are not allowed in the picnic areas at the southwest corner of the park.

Black Forest Park is on the north side of Shoup Road at the intersection of Milam Rd. just west of Hwy. 83. The first parking area has no amenities, but is a good place to park and less congested than the second parking area where the soccer fields etc. are located. These trails are also hilly and can give your horse a good workout. El Paso County Parks has maps of these parks.

Bear Creek Park

Another County Park that is a great place to ride and has good facilities is Bear Creek Park. This is adjacent to Penrose Equestrian Center and that is where you park. There are public restrooms there, plus an indoor arena ($5 use fee). Take I-25 to Cimarron (Hwy 24). Go west to 8th St. Go south to Rio Grande and turn west to the Equestrian Center.

These trails are wide and gravel and give good footing in the winter. There are creek crossings and hills to give your horse a workout. You will see bicycles and joggers. For the adventurous, you can even take the trail west to 21st St. There is a push-button traffic signal there and you can cross and continue west and cross High St. and ride in Section 16. The trails in Section 16 are steep, narrow and rocky so be prepared. It isn't a good idea to go to the Equestrian Center during major events such as the rodeo since the area gets very congested then. Call 719-520-6711 to check the event schedule or check the calendar on the internet at www.penroseequestrian.com.

Mt. Herman trails

These trails are in the Monument area in the foothills. To get to the trail head, take Washington St. west in Monument. Cross the railroad tracks and turn left on Mitchell Ave. Go south to Mt. Herman Rd. The trail head is at the corner of Mt. Herman and Nursery Rd. There is a pull through parking area for horse trailers. There are no amenities at the trail head. The trails vary in steepness and difficulty. Most of the main trails are wide and fairly easy but the side trails are steep and rocky, so horses should be shod. You can ride for a long time on these trails. You'll see lots of scrub oak and other foothill vegetation. Water for horses is scarce, but there are a couple of nice ponds–one is at the north side of the area near the big sandstone rock formation.

Indian Creek

Indian Creek is a lovely place to ride in the summer and will give you a real taste of mountain trails. It is in Jarre Canyon west of Sedalia on State Hwy. 67. Go about 10 miles west of Sedalia (this road is paved but very hilly and winding). The camp area is on the right side of the road. This is a Colorado state-owned equestrian camping area with water and rest rooms. There is a parking fee and you must clean up your area or you will be fined.

The trails are marked with signs but there are no maps available as of now. The wildflowers are gorgeous in the summer. Water on the trail is limited and trails are steep and narrow so this is not recommended for novice riders or unfit horses.

Mueller State Park

Mueller State Park about an hour west of Colorado Springs and offers beautiful mountain riding, especially during aspen season. Take Highway 24 west to Divide and turn south to the main entrance to the park (a couple of miles). The entry fee is $4 unless you have a yearly state park sticker. Be sure to get a map from the attendant–they are also good about telling you details of where to ride and where trails are closed etc.

The climb to the parking area is quite steep–be careful you don't overheat your tow vehicle. There is designated horse trailer parking just past the main building on the right hand side of the road. You are required to pick up your manure and put it in the trash cans that are provided. There is no water or toilet available at the livery area. However, toilets are available throughout the park.

The trail to the Cheeseman homestead has great views of the front range. The homestead belonged to the people who donated the land to the park and is a great place to stop and take photos. There is no horse water on this trail. Some trails are off limits to horses–please obey the signs. All trails offer good footing. You can ride for several hours.

Be aware of changing weather conditions and take rain gear, especially in the summer. If you see a pond be careful of the bogs around the edges if you try to let your horse drink.

Lakewood - Bear Creek State Park

During the winter a good place to ride is Lakewood's Bear Creek Lake State Park. This park is just off I-470 at the Morrison Road (Hwy 8) exit. The trails are easy and footing good. There is a $3/day fee for park use. There are restrooms and a stable where horses may be rented with reservations advised. The phone number is 303-697-9666 to reserve.

As always, be courteous and watch out for other people on the trail.