Beloved, controversial mountain bike trail in Colorado Springs could soon come into focus
The new year could see activity around a beloved and controversial mountain bike trail in Colorado Springs.
City parks department leadership and Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association have been in talks about work on Captain Morgan’s Trail, as outlined in the North Cheyenne Cañon Park master plan from 2018. Ahead of that plan, local riders of the steep, technical trail feared it could be lost as part of officials’ years-long efforts to rid or modify such user-made trails deemed unsustainable, erosive and harmful to the environment, or otherwise unfit for space shared by hikers.
A compromise was reached to work toward sanctioning Captain Morgan’s, which “has been a rogue trail for decades,” as described by Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association (COSMBA). Across city parks, the trail has represented “a rare chance for riders to challenge their skill in extreme ways,” according to the group.
“Double black diamond, very technical and fast,” said David Deitemeyer, city parks’ senior landscape architect. “Those characteristics are ones we want to keep as we explore the improvements on the trail.”
Those are being explored with COSMBA, the nascent nonprofit that in 2023 partnered with parks staff to build Black Sheep Trail off Pulpit Rock. The group includes seven certified trail crew leaders, said Executive Director Keith Thompson.
Thompson’s background is with the Council of Neighbors and Organizations, teaching residents “how to develop relationships with elected officials that moves advocacy in the direction they want it to go,” by his own account. He said he saw the need for fellow mountain bikers in what has been a contentious time for expert trails across city parks. Without those experiences, some argue enthusiasts will continue to carve rogue trails the parks department wants to prevent.
With Captain Morgan’s, “there’s a lot riding on us,” Thompson said. It’s a chance “to prove really to parks that you can have a steep trail that can still be sustainable. We’re constantly making that case. It’s really now time for us to put up or shut up.”
Specifics are still being determined. While considering “trail armor” and drainage concepts, Thompson said COSMBA’s goal would be a “soft touch” that “maximizes terrain” by “looking at rock outcropping or other features that we can basically bring in as either a main line or optional line.”
For now, the nonprofit is raising money for the “flyover” feature the city has in mind.
Renderings show a wooden platform and drop ramp built over an extended Ladders Trail planned to parallel Gold Camp Road. The structure is “to maintain user safety, reduce conflict and provide another feature,” Deitemeyer said.
No such structure exists across the city’s trail system. The parks department “wants natural features whenever possible,” Thompson said. “However, they also know that potential trail intersections are often the biggest issue of safety around riding.”
Tristan Maerz of Detroit rides Buckhorn Trail in 2016 in North Cheyenne Canon.