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Regional Corridors
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This data, information, or mapping product (“product”) is made available by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) as a public service. While PPACG strives to make this product as accurate as possible, it is for general informational purposes only and has not been prepared for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. PPACG provides this product “as is” with no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of title or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. PPACG shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of the use of this product, or the inability to use this product, or out of any breach of any warranty. The user acknowledges and agrees that the use of this product is at the sole risk of the user.
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Map displaying the boundaries of the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Pikes Peak area; the city limits for Colorado Springs, Fountain, Green Mountain Falls, Manitou Springs, Monument, Palmer Lake and Woodland Park; the boundaries for parks, U.S. Forest Service property and military installations; and the initial draft corridors compiled from proposed connected corridors, regional non-motorized corridors from 2015 and proposed gap projects.
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Proposed connected corridors
The Santa Fe Trail and Pikes Peak Greenway serves as the primary north and south trail, running from the board of El Paso County and Douglas County in Palmer Lake, going south roughly along Monument Creek through unincorporated El Paso County, Monument, Colorado Springs and Fountain to the border with Pueblo County.
The Santa Fe Trail connects with a trail in Monument that runs east along Highway 105, crosses Colorado Highway 83, and then goes southeast to connect with Hodgen Road. When the trail reaches Hodgen Road, one part of the trail will go east along Hodgen Road until it reaches Homestead Ranch Regional Park. The second part of the trail will go southeast until it reaches Milam Road, and then continue south until it ends at the Briargate Parkway.
As the Santa Fe Trail continues to move south, it will split within the south end of the Air Force Academy boundaries, and eventually connect to Academy Boulevard, which it will continue to follow until it reaches Sand Creek, with a gap near Palmer Park. At roughly this point, the trail is renamed the Pikes Peak Greenway.
The other split of the Pikes Peak Greenway connects with the Cottonwood Creek trail south of Woodmen Road. The Cottonwood Creek trail runs east, following the creek until it connects with Woodmen Road at Austin Bluffs Parkway. From that intersection, it will continue east along Woodmen Road until it reaches Bent Grass Meadow Drive, where it will leave the Woodmen Road area and follow a creek bed to U.S. Highway 24. Along the way, the Cottonwood Creek trail intersects with the trail that runs along Academy Boulevard, the Homestead Trail on the east side of Cottonwood Creek Park, and a trail that runs along Sand Creek.
The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south and connects to a trail near Exit 148 on Interstate 25. This trail heads east, through the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus and connects with Austin Bluffs Parkway near Clyde Way. This trail ends on the east boundary of Palmer Park.
The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south and connects to the Sinton Trail northeast of Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street. The Sinton Trail goes to the northwest, following a creek bed until it reaches Garden of the Gods Road west of the El Paso County Citizens Service Center. Sinton Trail then follows Garden of the Gods Road to the west until 30th Street, when it turns south and follows 30th Street until it connects with the Midland Trail near Cimmaron Street / U.S. Highway 24.
The Pikes Peak Greenway connects with the Rock Island Trail southeast of Interstate 25 and Fillmore Road. The Rock Island Trail follows and old railroad bed until it connects with Constitution Avenue at Union Boulevard. The Rock Island Trail follows Constitution Avenue until it crosses Academy Boulevard, where it returns to the old railroad bed until it reaches Powers Boulevard. From there, it goes south on Powers Boulevard until it connects with a trail that runs along Sand Creek. It follows the Sand Creek Trail until south of Constitution Avenue, where it heads east again and follows a valley that curves the southeast, east, north and northeast, crosses Marksheffel Road between North Carefree Circle and Constitution Avenue, passes through undeveloped land in Banning Lewis Ranch and then connects with the end of the Cottonwood Creek Trail. The Rock Island Trail then continues along U.S. Highway 24 until it ends in Peyton, Colorado.
The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south to downtown Colorado Springs. When it reaches downtown Colorado Springs, it connects with the Midland Trail at Colorado Avenue and Cimmaron Street, which goes west to Manitou Springs. More information on the Midland Trail is later in this document. To the east, a trail connects to the Pikes Peak Greenway at Cimarron Street, goes one block north to Costilla Street via Sierra Madre Street, and goes east until it reaches Memorial Park. This trail then runs along the southern boundary of Memorial Park along Prospect Lake Drive, crosses Union Boulevard, and then runs along Airport Road until it reaches the end of the trail along the East Fork of Sand Creek.
The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south to Tejon Street, where it intersects with a trail that goes to the north to Costilla Street and to the south to Cheyenne Boulevard. The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south until it intersects with the Sand Creek Trail, which runs along the creek to the northeast and intersects with several trails already referenced: the trail along Academy Boulevard, Costilla Street, Rock Island Trail and Cottonwood Creek Trail until it ends at Hogden Road.
The Pikes Peak Greenway continues south, where it meets with a local trail in Fountain north of Mesa Ridge Parkway. This is the last intersection of the Pikes Peak Greenway until it reaches the Pueblo County border.
Going back to the north along the trail that runs along Academy Boulevard, this trail intersects a trail near Voyager Parkway. This new trail runs north to Briargate Parkway, and then follows the parkway east. When the parkway ends, the proposed connected corridor continues on new trail, crossing Black Forest Road, Vollmer Road, the Sand Creek trail, and then connects with Stapleton Drive and follows that road until it reaches U.S. Highway 24 and the Rock Island Trail.
When the Rock Island Trail crosses Constitution Avenue for the last time, it intersects with a trail that heads east along Constitution Avenue to U.S. Highway 24. The proposed connected corridor crosses U.S. Highway 24 and follows the southern border of Jimmy Camp Creek Park. Once it reaches the end of the border, it crosses through open land to the south to Colorado Highway 94, where it splits. One split goes to the west along Space Village Avenue, then south to the west of the north entrance to Peterson Space Force Base, roughly follows along the northwestern corner of the base until it connects to the trail that ends at Airport Road. The second split in this trail crosses through open land to the east of Marksheffel Road and continues south along Jimmy Creek until it reaches the south into the City of Fountain. It intersects with trails at Bradley Road and Fontaine Boulevard, and ends at Old Pueblo Road in Fountain.
The Homestead Trail ends on the north at its intersection with the Cottonwood Creek Trail. Going south, the trail crosses Dublin Boulevard and then reaches Austin Bluffs Parkway by following a creek bed. Once it crosses Austin Bluffs Parkway, it follows a creek bed and then moved through a neighborhood to Templeton Gap Road. When it reaches Templeton Gap Road, it follows this road to the west where it reconnects with Austin Bluffs Parkway and then leaves the Parkway again when it follows Stetson Hills Boulevard to the east.
The Homestead Trail then meets with the Stetson Trail near the High Chaparral Trailhead. The Stetson Trail continues east along Stetson Hills Boulevard until it ends at the Sand Creek trail. The Homestead Trail goes south through neighborhoods and parks, heads west after it crosses South Carefree Circle. The trail crosses to the north side of South Carefree Circle and then splits, with a western fork continuing and ending near the intersection of North Carefree Circle and South Carefree Circle. The southern fork goes south until it meets the Sand Creek trail near the end of Pikes Peak Avenue, with the exception of a gap in the trail between Constitution Avenue and Maizeland Road.
South of downtown Colorado Springs, where the Pikes Peak Greenway meets with trails along Tejon Street, a trail to the north of the Greenway begins that follows Las Vegas Street. This trail follows Las Vegas Street until the street becomes parallel with Hancock Expressway, and then the trail moves to follow Hancock Expressway. It intersects with the Sand Creek Trail, then heads south along Academy Boulevard, east along Drennan Road, south to connect again with Hancock Expressway, and then heads east along Bradley Road. The trail continues along Bradley Road until the road ends at Goldfield Drive and continues east along the northern border of the Bluestem Prairie Open Space. The trail then reconnects with Bradley Road at Powers Boulevard and then continues east until it ends at the trail that follows Jimmy Camp Creek.
The trail that runs along Bradley Road intersects with a trail with a northern terminus at Bradley Road and runs south along Grinnell Boulevard to Fontaine Boulevard. It goes east at Fontaine Boulevard and follows Fontaine until it ends at the trail that follows Jimmy Camp Creek. This trail along Fontaine also connects to the Pikes Peak Greenway along Crews Gulch.
Back at the intersection of the Pikes Peak Greenway at Tejon Street, two trails go south and southwest. The trail that goes south goes down Tejon Street, connects to Cheynne Creek near Navajo Street, and then uses Ramona Avenue to connect at Cascade Avenue. The trail continues south down Cascade Avenue to East Cheyenne Road, and then goes south along South Nevada Avenue / Colorado Highway 115 until it ends at JL Ranch Heights Road and Nelson Boulevard near Gate 1 of Fort Carson. For the trail that runs southeast from the Pikes Peak Greenway and Tejon Street, this trail follows Cheyenne Boulevard until it ends at the intersection of Evans Avenue and Cheyenne Canyon Road. This southeast trail connects to the Midland Trail that follows Cresta Road and 21st Street.
One trail segment in southern Colorado Springs and north of Fort Carson exists along Clover Ditch and another creek bed that runs south of Clover Ditch and west of Venetucci Boulevard to Pikes Peak State College south of Academy Boulevard.
The Midland Trail serves as a primary east and west corridor and generally U.S. Highway 24 to Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls and Woodland Park. It becomes the Ute Pass Trail as it enters the mountains west of Manitou Springs. The Midland Trail connects with a trail running south at 21st Street, a trail running north at 30th Street and a spur that crosses U.S. Highway 24 to access Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
Non-motorized regional corridors from 2015 plan
Several of the trails as a proposed connected corridor were also listed as regional non-motorized corridors in the 2015 plan:
- Pikes Peak Greenway
- Academy Boulevard
- Cottonwood Creek Trail
- Rock Island Trail
- Midland Trail and Ute Pass Trail
- Cheyenne Road
- South Nevada Avenue / Colorado Highway 115
- Las Vegas Street, Hancock Expressway, Bradley Road, Drennan Road and Crews Gulch
Some segments from the 2015 plan were not listed as proposed connected corridors in the draft document:
- Segment along Garden of the Gods Road and Austin Bluff Parkway, from the El Paso County Citizens Service Center to Clyde Way at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and then from the northeast corner of Palmer Park along Austin Bluffs Parkway to American Drive, Van Telylingen Drive, North Carefree Circle, Academy Boulevard, and then north along Academy Boulevard to Jeannine Drive.
- Extension along Academy Boulevard from Sand Creek Trail to Astrozon Boulevard.
- A bypass along the Pikes Peak Greenway near Mesa Ridge Parkway where it meets Crews Gulch.
- A bypass along the Pikes Peak Greenway to access Fountain Creek Regional Park.
- Segments in Woodland Park at the end of the Ute Pass Regional Trail:
- Trail along Lake Avenue from Colorado Highway 67 to Teller County Road 22, south along Baldwin Street, east along Panther Way and ending at Woodland Park High School.
- Trail from the intersection of Willow Street and Columbine Avenue, going west to Northwest Street, then north along Northwest Street to end at Lake Avenue.
Proposed gap projects
The map outlines some gap trails that could be created to connect existing trails for greater accessibility:
- Connecting the Homestead Trail from Constitution Avenue to Maizeland Road.
- Connecting the Homestead Trail from Stetson Hills Boulevard to Templeton Gap Road.
- Connecting Austin Bluffs Parkway to North Carefree Circle