Colorado Springs OKs plan to open Incline
- Details
- Created on Wednesday, 23 February 2011 01:18
- Written by Dena Rosenberry
By Dave Philipps, The Gazette
To some observers, opening the Manitou Incline seems to involve as many steps as the Incline itself.
Even so, Tuesday’s step was an important one: The Colorado Springs City Council unanimously approved a plan to legalize and manage the Incline for hikers.
The vote was applauded by supporters in the audience.
Currently, climbing the abandoned staircase of railroad ties, which rises 2,000 feet in just under a mile, is illegal because it crosses private land. Yet an estimated 350,000 to 500,000 people climb it annually.
Groups have been trying to legalize the trail for a decade, but talks faltered until 2008 when Colorado Springs City Councilman Scott Hente, a regular Incline hiker, brokered a deal between Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which owns much of the land.
Photos from a January day on the Incline
Since then, an often frustratingly slow procession of meetings, letters, discussions with lawyers, public planning sessions and official resolutions has gradually inched toward opening the trail.
DON'T FORGET THE NEXT STEP: Incline volunteers!
“People told me we’d never be able to do this,” said a beaming Hente just before the vote. He said opening the Incline would not just “get people legal,” but would “be an economic boon for the community.”
Tuesday’s step was not the last step, however. Manitou Springs City Council must approve the plan. (It’s on the March 29 agenda). Then the U.S. Forest Service must grant a special use permit, which planners estimate could be done by fall.
Post your Incline times
Even after the Incline is open, more steps await — notably raising money to repair the actual steps.
“I’ve had a number of private individuals pledge significant donations,” Hente said. “After this vote, be assured I’ll be coming to them hat in hand.”
PHOTO: The Incline is a popular hiking trail, despite the extreme climb. Christian Murdock, Gazette file
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