Stratton Open Space

NOTE: The Chutes is downhill bicycle only, the Ladders is multi-use, multi directional (providing connection from the Chamberlain Trail to Gold Camp Road), and the Gold Camp Path is, bi-directional, hiking only trail.

Wildlife: Mule deer are commonly seen, but Stratton Open Space is also home to coyote, black bear, mountain lion, gray fox, bobcat, chipmunk, cottontail, jackrabbit, deer mouse, pocket gopher, various squirrels, skunk and a wide variety of bird species. Reptiles include fence lizard, garter snake, bullsnake, and rattlesnake. 

History: Beginning in the early 1990s, local citizens began working to protect the property as open space. In 1998, the City of Colorado Springs completed the purchase of Stratton Open Space for $5.9 million. Most of the funding for the purchase came from the then recently-passed (1997) Trails, Open Space, and Parks (TOPS) sales tax in Colorado Springs. The TOPS program contributed $4.4 million, with the remainder of the purchase price coming from the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Trust Fund ($500,000), private donations, and assistance from The Trust for Public Land. As a requirement of the GOCO funding, a conservation easement was placed on the property. The easement is held by the Palmer Land Trust, a private land conservation organization. Stratton Open Space is owned by the City of Colorado Springs and is managed by the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department. The City of Colorado Springs owns and Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) manages land that is immediately adjacent to Stratton Open Space on the south side and contains two water supply reservoirs – South Suburban Reservoir and Gold Camp Reservoir – and associated infrastructure. Outside of the fenced reservoir and facility areas, the CSU-managed land is indistinguishable from Stratton Open Space, and several trails and visitor use areas cross between the properties.