COLORADO SPRINGS — The City of Colorado Springs announced that the Manitou Incline will now be operating on its summer hours.
The trail is now open from 6 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., but a reservation is required.
Reservations can be made online for free, up to one month in advance.
When hikers arrive they must show proof of their reservation and parking before hiking.
The hiking will also be paced out as follows:
- Every 30 minutes, up to 65 people can reserve a spot between 6-9 a.m.
- 45 people between 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- 25 people between 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Parking is available at Hiawatha Gardens (10 Old Mans Trail, Manitou Springs) for $1/hour, or users can make a reservation and pay to park at the Iron Springs Chateau.
There is a free 22-person shuttle from Hiawatha to the Incline that runs every 20 minutes from 6 a.m.-6 p.m., and beginning in April, two shuttles will run every 10 minutes between 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
Hikers can also skip the shuttle for a 1.3-mile walk to the start of the incline. However, hikers cannot park in the Barr Trail parking lot or along Ruxton Avenue and Winter Street.
The reservation system started as a temporary measure to thin crowds during the pandemic. In July 2021, city leaders announced that the reservation would be permanentsince they found it helped ease crowds and traffic in the area.
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