North Cheyenne Canon Road Closure

through May 21st, 2022 for the replacement of three bridges. During this closure, the road will be closed
to vehicles, bikes and pedestrians and will extend from the traffic gates at the Starsmore Visitor and
Nature Center to the Helen Hunt Falls parking lot. The park and all of the trails will remain open through
the closure (Daniel’s Pass Trail area closure will remain in place until at least November). For entry into
the park, here are a list of trail access points:
- Lower Columbine Trail from the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center.
- Chamberlain Trail from South Cheyenne Canon Road and from Stratton Open Space.
- Spring Creek Trail (Access from Gold Camp Road and drop down to the Mid-Columbine Trail).
- Upper Columbine Trail from the Helen Hunt Falls area.
- Mount Cutler/Mount Muscoco can be accessed from the Creekside Trail connector from the Lower Columbine Trail.
- The Gold Camp Road/High Drive Parking Lot will remain open. Access to the upper North Cheyenne Canon Trails, Jones Park and Pike National Forest will be uninterrupted.
PARK AND TRAIL News
Please take a few minutes to fill out the parks master plan survey and help park staff as they chart a course for the next 5 years. Share your priorities and concerns. epcountyparkplan.com/survey
EPC manages 8000 acres of parkland, 123 miles of trails, 32 pavilions, 11 playgrounds, 23 restroom facilities, 2 nature centers, fairgrounds and numerous athletic facilities. How much does that cost each of us in county tax support? $3.89 per person per year! For that reason park staff is excited that 1A (County Tabor Refund on the November ballot) will provide an additional $2 million dollars to address critical maintenance and capital needs if it passes in November.
In other county parks news: vandalism is still a problem at the Paint Mines with stolen signs and a damaged banner. Part-time staff now monitor the Paint Mines Friday – Sunday to reduce vandalism to the resource. Bear Creek Dog Park will be closed a week to allow staff to provide forest management on site. More details to follow.

Sept 15 – 16
Per the city of Manitou Springs:
A contractor will be striping the Barr Lot and the Canon Lot on September 16th, from 7AM – 1PM. This will result in a closure of these parking lots from 5PM on September 15th, until 2PM on September 16th. For those looking to hike Barr Trail, 10 spots will be sectioned off and designated for Barr parking in the Hiawatha Gardens parking lot. You can either hike or take the free shuttle toward the top of Ruxton Avenue from Hiawatha Gardens.

The city now has an operating agreement with two national companies and is working on parking locations throughout the service area. They will be parked in “forced areas”, designated virtual parking areas.
At the September Citizen Transportation Advisory Board (CTAB) meeting, traffic engineering staff said we can expect to see a limited number of rental scooters over the next few weeks. Scooters will be allowed on bike lanes and some sidewalks. Initially they will not be allowed on urban trails or in parks for the same reason the e-bikes pilot program was curtailed: the TOPS ordinance does not allow motorized vehicles on TOPS purchased properties which includes most of our urban trails. City Attorneys are looking at a code change for City Council to consider that would allow e-bikes on TOPS trails.

Groups supporting 2C include: Trails and Open Space Coalition, Pikes Peak Pickle Ball, Pikes
Peak Ascent & Marathon, Visit COS, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Association, Friends of
Garden of the Gods, Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Friends of Monument Valley Park, Guardians of Palmer Park and more! If your group would like to be added to this list, let us know.
For more information on how to support the TOPS initiative as a volunteer: www.trailsopenspaceparks.com
TOSC

Sat. Oct 2, 9:00 – 11:00AM
Be a part of Colorado’s largest watershed cleanup, Creek Week! TOSC is teaming up with the Pikes Peak Road Runners (PPRR) to clean up the Pikes Peak Greenway near America the Beautiful Park. We will provide gloves and trash bags. Meet in the parking lot across the street from ATB Park, to the east. Participants will get warm fuzzy feelings for doing something good and a TOSC sticker. Please wear long pants and closed toe shoes, and bring water. Let’s see how much rubbish we can collect in just 2 hours!

Member Hike – Pancake Rocks
Don’t miss our next Member Hike. Invitations were emailed to our members on Monday. If you are a member and did not receive an invitation, please contact beth@trailsandopenspaces.org. Space is limited.

TOSC & RTP Apparel
The Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) advocates for the creation and conservation of an interconnected network of trails, parks and open spaces across the Pikes Peak region. Show your support for Ring the Peak Trail, help us raise awareness and funds with RTP apparel! Items available for a limited time only, order NOW.

Thank you to all of the TOSC Members, Partners and Sponsors who made this years’ Member Celebration a delicious and memorable event at the historic Harvey House on Catalyst Campus. Special thanks to Buffalo Gals, Sovereignty Wine and New Belgium brewing for great food and drink. Desserts were provided by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Jack Quinn’s, Adam’s Mountain Café, Sasquatch Cookies and Village Inn. Board Member Jerry Cordova provided live music.
Volunteer of the Year was presented to “Hiking” Bob Falcone.
Friends Group of the Year – Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
Business Partner of the Year – Fossil Brewing Company.
Our lovely awards were designed and created by our Mike Rigney (from recycled wood) with help from Board President Glenn Carlson and Staff member Sharie Dodge.

On Saturday, TOSC partnered with Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs to host a free community scavenger hunt at John Venezia Community Park. The event was part of a larger program – Get Out Get Healthy – that aims to get more families and people at higher health risk using our parks and trails for outdoor exercise. Click Here to learn more about the Get Out Get Healthy Program.
The event featured a park-wide scavenger hunt, three Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs health stations, music by Melange, provided by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and its Curbside Culture program, Miles the Denver Broncos Mascot, the Denver Broncos cheerleaders, Ziggy the Switchbacks Mascot, Toasty the Rocky Mountain Vibes Mascot, the Pikes Peak Library Mobile Library, and the Butterfly Pavilion. Nearly 200 people came out to participate.

This past Saturday morning, TOSC and the Pikes Peak Road Runners hosted the Two Shoes Trek Challenge in Fox Run Regional Park. Over 60 runners competed in 5k, 10k and 30k distances on a challenging course that meandered through the towering ponderosas. We congratulate the winners of the races including the overall winners for each distance: 5K Men – Rhett Jones, 5K Women – Emily Batson, 10K Men – John Clarke, 10K Women – Robin Bridgewater, 30K Men – Adam Rabo, 30K Women – Tammy Jacobson. TOSC would love to thank the Pikes Peak Road Runners for partnering on this
amazing event and TOSC would love to thank the wonderful sponsors: Jersey Mikes, Production Studio of Colorado, Lita Abbarno-Keller Williams, 1 Source Insurance, Dr. Emily Batson Dentistry and Prosthodontics, Roman Villa and Elm Family Dentistry.
Community

Sat. September 18, 8:30 AM
Join Professor Mark Izold, Pikes Peak Community College Geology, and discover the rich geologic history of the area. Come see the Great Unconformity and hear about the Cambrian and Ordovician time periods and evidence for life found in the strata.

Pikes Peak Bigfoot benefit hike for Barr Camp
Sat. Sept 18, 10:00 – 3:00 PM
For the price of a burger and a couple of pints, you can help BC in a more “interactive” way. Insert one of the great mysteries of the Pikes Peak region: Bigfoot. So for one day, there will be a benefit hike. The goal is to find and make contact with Bigfoot (clues upon registration) within the region on Sept 18th, 2021, and win awesome, non-cringy prizes. Think of it as Easter egg hunt, Where’s Waldo, geocaching, but with a hairy twist.

Take People For Bikes’ Community Survey to share what it is like biking where you live. Everyone can participate regardless of where, how or why they ride. Your feedback will help determine your city or town’s score in the 2022 City Ratings.
Want to know how your community scored this year?
Check out the results.

September 23-26
The Apex is a four-day mountain bike race, with stages held at USAFA, Mt Herman, Palmer Park and up in North Cheyenne Canon. The Apex aims to create a world-class event that drives economic impact to the area in order to improve the trails and open spaces in the Pikes Peak region for the lasting enjoyment of its residents and visitors. There are a bunch of shifts available, for volunteers who can spare a few hours or commit for a full day – or two. ALL our volunteers will get some thank-you swag!
Learn more at www.pikespeakapex.com

8th Annual Creek Week Cleanup
September 25th – October 3rd 2021
Celebrate water, nature and community by being a part of the 8th annual Creek Week Cleanup, Colorado’s largest waterway cleanup event! In 2020, over 10 tons of trash was kept from compromising drains and waterways. In 2021, the tradition of caring for our Fountain Creek Watershed continues with the goal of getting more people out for this education/outreach/action program of the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District.
Our Watershed needs you! Even more helping hands are needed to remove trash from our public and private lands to prevent pollutants from harming fragile habitats, negatively impacting water quality and becoming a safety hazard for our communities. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in this event either individually in a public event or form a Creek Week Crew. This is a great event for businesses, sports teams, churches and any organization to make an impact in our community.
To find more information and to register, please visit: fountain-crk.org/register
Have questions? Please email creekweeksoco@gmail.com

COS Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services is now accepting photo submissions for its 2022 calendar. This is the eighth edition of the annual calendar which highlights the natural beauty of parks, trails and open spaces in Colorado Springs.
All submissions due by Tuesday, Oct. 5. Photos can be submitted by emailing calendar@coloradosprings.gov, or drop off or mail to 1401 Recreation Way. Winning submissions will be announced around Nov. 9. Please follow all park rules and regulations when capturing photos and leave no trace.
For more information, visit ColoradoSprings.gov/DiscoverCOS.