For many years at a cozy restaurant nestled in the hills west of Colorado Springs, tired and dirt-stained friends have gathered around a table to recharge and revel in the day’s work on the trail. 

Until his death in 2021 at the age of 84, Dick Bratton was at the center of these gatherings. This was at The Pantry in Green Mountain Falls. 

“That’s where he held his court,” said Rocco Blasi, “and he always kept a sharp eye out for people to recruit.” 

Blasi was one of those people almost 20 years ago. And now, as president of Friends of Ute Pass Trails, he and devoted volunteers continue the mission of Bratton ー building and sustaining trails that make Green Mountain Falls the hiking paradise it is today. 

While hidden off U.S. 24, the destination has become increasingly known over the years. Colorado Springs hikers have discovered an escape from the heat and crowds of the city’s parks and open spaces. 

“It’s not uncommon to have people from Pueblo and Denver all up and down the Front Range come to visit,” Blasi added. “It’s a nice option in the summer; it’s probably 10 degrees cooler than Colorado Springs and maybe 15 degrees cooler than Pueblo and Denver.” 

It’s cooler up in the shaded forest surrounding the quaint town, cooler beside the creeks and waterfalls the trails traverse. From the trail map posted in the center of Green Mountain Falls ー in the parking lot outside The Pantry ー one can look around and see other enticing points: mountaintops and granite outcrops. 

“What makes us really unique is, right there from the town center, you can look in any direction and see 12 miles of our hiking trails,” Blasi said. 

Bratton looked on proudly. The career Air Force officer had seen those trails created or restored over the years since he arrived in Green Mountain Falls in the 1980s. 

“The trails were in poor shape when I got here, eroded. A lot of them were just billy goat straight up the hill,” Bratton recalled in an interview back in 2018. “I wanted to accommodate families who could get out there and enjoy these wonderful outdoors in a safe manner.” 

He wanted that for families both local and out of town. But some residents didn’t take too kindly to his vision for the trails to boost property values and tourism. 

“When I was mayor, citizens came up to me in The Pantry,” Bratton said. “‘Don’t let Green Mountain Falls grow. Put a moat around town, barbed wire and dogs, no one in except with ID.'” 

But tourists, he knew, long predated residents. He’d seen historic pictures of the surrounding hills spotted with tents “like an Army encampment.” Those were sightseeing travelers who took to paths that became faint and overgrown in the next century ー paths Bratton rediscovered and revitalized with like-minded disciples that trained alongside him in the technical ways of trail-building. 

An early victory was Thomas Trail, skirting a mountainside between waterfalls above town. Volunteers celebrated the job finished in 1990 on land that was donated to the town by Dr. C.Y. Thomas. 

In 2001, hundreds more volunteers near and far celebrated a greater victory: Catamount Trail, “the Gem of GMF trails,” as the town marks it today, leading to South Catamount Reservoir on Pikes Peak. Thanks to other land acquisitions by the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation and easements over the past 15 years, Bratton saw trails built up Mount Dewey and across Red Butte on the other side of town overlooking Ute Pass. 

Over that same time, Bratton saw more people come to town. 

“You can’t keep a secret that good,” he said of the trails. And that seemed fine by him: “It’s very important for our economy.” 

In 2017, he watched from afar as crews finished Bratton Trail to form a loop between Mount Dewey and Catamount Trail. More recently, trails have expanded around Red Butte, home to the head-turning James Turrell Skyspace, installed as part of the Green Box Arts Festival. 

Trails and art ー they are central to a comprehensive plan in the works, imagining Green Mountain Falls’ future. 

“But there’s a balance with keeping the quaint, charming atmosphere of the town,” Blasi said. 

He likes to think that balance was symbolized last year by Green Mountain Falls being named a Gold Standard Site by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics ー a recognition for “exemplary models of responsible recreation and stewardship.” 

Bratton would have been proud, Blasi thinks: “He was probably a Leave No Trace guy before there was a Leave No Trace program.” (This partly explains the hiking-only designation of the trails, Blasi added: “Less erosion, less maintenance, more sustainable.”)

Bratton would be far less pleased by a new development on Crystal Trail, Blasi knows. 

“No trespassing” signs have been posted on the upper part of the trail on Colorado Springs Utilities land, prohibiting access to reservoirs of North Slope Recreation Area. Finalized earlier this year, a master plan for the area notes “severe erosion and hazardous conditions” along the steep trail near Utilities infrastructure. 

“We’re hopeful to have some better interactions and look at, I would say, better alternatives,” a Utilities representative said in a previous interview. “Creating something that’s not going to be a burden to maintenance and safety.”

Blasi sounded less hopeful. Ahead of the final master plan for North Slope, he joined Green Mountain Falls officials in pushing back against the closure, arguing Crystal Trail predated Utilities’ land ownership.

“It’s culturally significant, historically significant and then economically significant,” Blasi said. “It’s taking a valuable route out of the trail inventory at a time when the public is seeking more recreation options.” 

Other options remain around Green Mountain Falls. 

They are detailed on a town website, greenmountainfalls.colorado.gov, which includes a map and important parking information (many trails are reached at the end of neighborhoods, where parking is not allowed).

Here are five routes to consider:

Catamount Trail

Up Hondo Avenue through the neighborhood, the trail starts beside a tumbling cascade and steeply ascends switchbacks to multiple overlooks. At one, the path gently descends and follows Catamount Creek through the wildflower- and boulder-spotted Garden of Eden. The ultimate destination: South Catamount Reservoir backdropped by Pikes Peak. ~6 ½ miles out and back, challenging

Mount Dewey/Bratton loop

This loop is a favorite of Blasi’s for the “excellent views” and “nice variety.” Atop the neighborhood on the northwest side of town, Mount Dewey Trail leads to a panoramic view near 8,500 feet. From there, Bratton Trail swoops around to more open views before entering the forest of pine and aspen. It meets Catamount Trail, which drops back to town. ~4 miles, moderate

Pittman/Turrell trails

Pittman Trail starts from the Red Butte Recreation Area trailhead at the Joyland Church parking lot just outside town. The path heads up a ridge and junction for the Turrell Trail, which leads to the James Turrell Skyspace and the option to proceed down to town. Going back to the Joyland parking lot, don’t miss the segment marked “Pittman Scenic Route.” ~2 miles, easy 

H.B. Wallace Reserve

It feels like a pocket of wilderness bordering Chipita Park. “A lot of it is overgrown,” Blasi said of the thin paths, “but it’s a place to get away.” On the southeast edge of Green Mountain Falls, the mile-long Kirkpatrick Trail leads to the 95-acre reserve. The only steep trail is the one to Castle Rock, a rugged perch overlooking Ute Pass. ~2 ½ miles of trail in the reserve

Thomas Trail 

Kirkpatrick Trail leads to the Wallace Preserve in one direction, and in the other it connects to Thomas Trail. It’s a splendid tour on the mountainside high above town, starting and ending at waterfalls and creek crossings: Crystal Falls on the Kirkpatrick side, Catamount Falls on the other side connecting with Catamount Trail. Careful stepping over slick rocks. ~2 miles, moderate