Manitou Incline's future remains blurry entering 5th month of closure for popular recreation site

Nearly four months after being shut down at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, a barrier remains at the base of the Manitou Incline with no reopening on the horizon.

One of the Pikes Peak region's most popular attractions — in-ground trail counters tallied close to 2,000 hikers a day during 2019's July Fourth weekend — has been off-limits under a local emergency declared March 17.

Authority "shall remain in effect until further notice," read the declaration by Manitou Springs City Council.

More than health and safety concerns, the events following the order have underscored long-simmering tension over the future management of the mountain-spanning fitness challenge, viewed both as an economic driver and nuisance.

Tracing Manitou Incline's persistent controversy: The long climb

Representatives for Colorado Springs and officials in Manitou, the Incline's owners along with the U.S. Forest Service, have been at odds over a path to reopening.

"I've got nothing, which is very disappointing," Colorado Springs parks Director Karen Palus said early last week, as the two sides had yet to meet since June 11. That night, Manitou City Council opposed a reopening proposal presented by Palus.

Now "we've gotta serve the ball to Colorado Springs and see how they hit it back to us," Manitou Mayor John Graham said.

The pitch could come after he and council meet Tuesday for what was slated to be a third executive session regarding the Incline. Under state law, negotiations are allowed to be discussed behind closed doors, which doesn't sit well with some interested parties.

"But if they're discussing policy, policy is supposed to be discussed in a public forum," said Susan Davies, executive director of Trails and Open Space Coalition, one advocacy group that has criticized the closure.

'Beautiful trail' that will connect to Manitou Incline expected to be finished soon

"I know this is controversial, I know it's contentious, I know it's uncomfortable. But that's how it is in a public forum. You discuss, you compromise, you weigh arguments."

Leading up to a June 20 protest at the Incline, it was a concern raised by organizer Mark Rickman. "They really haven't been very transparent," he said.

Said Graham, "We don't really like doing these because we know people get suspicious," but, he said, the Manitou city attorney has advised that it be done in executive sessions.

"So we're gonna have to just bite the bullet and work through this," Graham said.

Hikers climb Manitou Incline in protest of coronavirus closure

Incline fans were hopeful things would be worked out June 11. What Palus presented in a Zoom call with Manitou City Council mirrored a previous proposal by Manitou staff — a limited number of hikers would be allowed on the mountain with reservations.

Palus said her staff would handle the free bookings. But some Manitou councilors rejected the notion, saying their city should be in charge, not the neighboring metro, which they accused of ignoring the Incline's local costs to traffic, parking, emergency personnel and quality of life.

Unlike Colorado Springs' proposal, a white paper by Manitou staff outlined a possible fee to use the Incline ($5 or $10). Palus said she did not foresee a scenario where Manitou could institute that.

"Not as the owner of the facility, no," she said. "Any type of fees would have to go through a process with the Forest Service as the other owner and working closely with Colorado Springs Utilities as the third owner."

A user-pay model has been floated by Manitou leaders for years, but talks have faltered with Colorado Springs, listed as "the single entity to assume management" of the Incline in a 2011 intergovernmental agreement.

"They had reasonable concerns to doubt our ability," said Graham, the first-year mayor, citing "discord" in Manitou government. "I think now we're trying to establish that we do have something to bring to the table. We're willing to listen, and we want to talk."

Palus said she wants to as well.

"I'm not sure what the next steps are," she said. "I've used this word a lot lately: cautiously optimistic."