MANITOU SPRINGS — The Manitou Incline will open Thursday morning, Aug. 6, at 6 a.m.
Tuesday night, Manitou Springs City Council voted to reopen the Incline with a free reservation system on a 5-2 vote.
This action to reopen the trail was achieved by approving a Memorandum of Understanding with Colorado Springs, which will operate and manage the reservation system. Manitou Public Works are maintaining the Hiawatha parking lot, and installing parking kiosks.
The Incline was closed to the public in late March because of coronavirus concerns.
According to the City of Colorado Springs, after making an online reservation www.coloradosprings.gov/incline users will receive a welcome email with directions for parking, rules, and regulations. Free parking is available at Hiawatha Gardens or users can pay to park at the Iron Springs Chateau. Users are asked to arrive as close to their reserved time as possible.
Manitou Springs will resume its Ruxton Ave shuttle service on or around Aug. 24., the city said.
When hikers check-in at the base of the Incline, they will be given a wristband that must be worn the entire time they are on the property.
Reservations are now available between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. For the first two weeks, reservations are available for 35 people every 30 minutes. After that, the capacity will be increased to 45 people every 30 minutes, the city said.
All users are asked to also follow current local recommendations for COVID-19, which will be available on the Incline website. Right now in Manitou Springs, that includes the use of a face covering, both indoors and outdoors, when a distance of 6-feet cannot be maintained, according to the city.
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