Colorado grant supports three-year Ring the Peak recreation and conservation plan
A state grant of up to $2.5 million will support planned trail, camping, ambassador and wildlife-habitat work around Pikes Peak through 2028.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance have agreed to a grant of up to $2.5 million for a three-year recreation and conservation project across El Paso, Teller and Fremont counties. The grant agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2028.
The project includes a planned 1.5-mile Ring the Peak trail segment between Winnemucca Road and Spring Street in Cascade, a trailhead and parking area, route recognition, trail realignments, erosion-control structures, bridges, fencing and signs. The Cascade facility, also called the Ute Pass Trailhead, would be the first formal trailhead for the Ring the Peak system, according to the agreement.
The plan also calls for a three-year outdoor-ambassador pilot with the Rocky Mountain Field Institute. One full-time lead ambassador and four seasonal ambassadors would educate visitors, promote Leave No Trace and Stay the Trail practices, monitor trails, report hazards, perform light maintenance and support stewardship outreach at high-use locations.
At Dome Rock State Wildlife Area, the partners plan to inventory and design a habitat treatment covering about 300 acres of dry mixed-conifer forest. The treatment would use hand and mechanical thinning to improve Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep habitat, reduce wildfire risk and protect aquatic resources. Field work is scheduled for June 2027 after contract development and bidding, with completion projected for early 2029.
The project includes planning for camping sites rather than a guaranteed new campground. Over about 12 months, the partners plan to map potential sites, including re-established campgrounds and land managed or leased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Environmental and cultural surveys would be required before new infrastructure is added, and short-term camping opportunities could be pursued in the project’s third year if viable sites are identified.
A separate proposed agreement would provide up to $200,000 for the Cascade trailhead. It would fund a sidewalk from Spring Street through a Colorado Department of Transportation yard to U.S. Highway 24, as well as parking, a kiosk, fencing and gates. The county agenda item lists construction from May through September 2026, but the proposal is scheduled for consideration by the El Paso County commissioners on Sept. 22.
The agreement assigns leadership among the partners: Colorado Parks and Wildlife would lead the Dome Rock work, El Paso County Parks would lead the Ute Pass Trail work and the Rocky Mountain Field Institute would operate the ambassador program. It also requires progress reports, financial records and audits through the grant period.
The agreement sets out planned work and milestones; it does not document completed trail construction or habitat treatment.