Mileage: 4 miles (a loop that starts at the free parking at the Memorial Park, up to Red Mountain and back down through town)
Elevation Gain/Highest: 1222ft/7395ft (from car to car)
Map: Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail and my GAIA
Favorite Eats After Hike: Adam’s Mountain Café
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
4/22/2018
I had hoped that being in Colorado Springs again would mean a chance to redeem myself on the Manitou Springs Incline but one of our group had suffered some pretty horrific blisters summiting Mt. St. Helens just days before and was relegated to flip flops and a slow pace. So, instead I thought it would be fun to do a Red Mountain Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail Manitou Springs Loop and then loop back to the car through town and see what we might find.
The first part of the hike is urban as we walked up the steep streets in town to connect with the trailhead along Pawnee Avenue. Once here, it was a wide easy path around the base of Red Mountain with view of the town below and the Incline heading up towards Pikes Peak. It was a little bit muddy with a few leftover patches of snow.
At about .4 miles in, we decided to take what looked like a decommissioned road up towards the summit, even though GAIA showed the trail just a bit further along. This meant we actually ended up scrambling the 500 feet or so to the top on a game trail when that road shortly ended and I would suggest if following our GAIA track you take the downhill track shown for your route up…unless you like adventure. If a gal in flipflops can do it, anyone can. Just know there was loose scree involved…but only for about 500 feet of gain.
From the flat roomy summit, we had views of the valley and Garden of The Gods, as well. We, also, took a side bootpath that rambled along the snow and brush covered ridge for a short distance for some varied views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding hills.
Our descent was on the established trail and it took easy graded switchbacks down to Paul Intemann where we turned left and finished the trail as it connected with Ruxton Avenue near the parking lot for Manitou Springs and the Iron Spring Trailhead. The Red Mountain Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail Manitou Springs Loop turned out to be a great alternative to the Incline with just enough elevation to justify treats we might find on our way back to the car.
It was about another mile through the town of Manitou Springs with its quaint art and coffee shops. We even stopped at one several mineral springs fountains to refill our water bottles.
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Directions: Park at the Memorial Park in Manitou Springs that offers free parking. This is the same place you can park to ride the shuttle up to Manitou Springs Incline. Cross Manitou Avenue at the crosswalk by the bus stop and walk up Deer Path Avenue. It curves to the right but then take the next left to eventually connect with Pawnee Avenue. Turn left and make your way to the trailhead for Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail about .6 miles from your car.
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