New Role for Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak as viewed from Garden of the Gods

In a press release dated January 9, 2025, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that it was considering a new management role in the Pikes Peak region. 

 

“Governor Polis announced Thursday in his State of the State enhanced stewardship and opportunities for expanding public recreation on Pikes Peak. Following the Governor’s announcement,  Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced that they have received a Letter of Intent (LOI) from key partners in the Colorado Springs area announcing they want to pursue an expansion of the state recreation system with new CPW-managed recreation opportunities on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain.”

 

The press announcement goes on to state that “The first priority of the partnership is to draft a long-term agreement with CPW to allow the state’s premier recreation management agency to assume management and development of the Ring the Peak Trail corridor.”

 

TOSC has been working for years to try to complete the Ring the Peak Trail. One of the major concerns that agencies and private landowners have expressed is how the trail would be managed. Because the trail encompasses many different land management entities it has been difficult to get agreement on what agency or organization would have the capacity to manage a trail of nearly 100 miles. With this Letter of Intent it demonstrates that one agency – Colorado Parks and Wildlife – has the resources and will to both complete the Ring the Peak Trail and manage it as well. 

 

TOSC has focused on supporting efforts to make substantive improvements on existing portions of the trail. We have partnered with Colorado Springs Parks and Recreational Services as well as the US Forest Service to improve sustainability of more than a mile of existing trail.

 

We look forward to partnering with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance to make the dream of a well managed trail around Pikes Peak a reality. 

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