The Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) and Colorado Springs Sports Corporation announce their PPORA Stewardship Fund allocation of $10,000 which will go directly into trail maintenance and new trail building in the Pikes Peak region. The Stewardship Fund includes a portion of registration fees from the Pikes Peak APEX presented by RockShox, the Colorado Springs Lodging and Automobile Rental Tax (LART) and small fundraising events. These sources have allocated funding for future projects directly supporting our great trails in the Pikes Peak Region and to provide potential matching funds or seed money for regional trail and outdoor recreation initiatives that will benefit the Pikes Peak region.
The Stewardship Fund allocations support groups and the on-the-ground projects on trails that benefit residents and visitors today and could potentially be used by the Pikes Peak APEX and other events in future years. Awards include the following:
- $7,000 to the City of Colorado Springs for the Ladders Trail
- $2,000 to Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates for Buckhorn Trail Repairs (USFS trail) and Equipment Purchase
- $1,000 to Friends of the Peak for St. Mary’s Falls Trail (USFS) maintenance
The City of Colorado Springs will be implementing a new section of the multi-use, multi-directional Ladders Trail in North Cheyenne Cañon Park per the recommendations of the North Cheyenne Cañon Park Master and Management Plan. The new Ladders Trail (also referred to as the Corley Bypass Trail) will parallel a portion of Gold Camp Road and is part of the recently-approved LART-funded project in the Park. The Stewardship Fund will contribute to a specific element of the Ladders Trail project: a much-needed grade separate trail interchange with the new Ladders Trail and the existing Captain Morgans bike trail. The grade separated crossing at this location serves to improve trail user safety, enhance the user experience, and provide an added feature on the downhill bike trail. The mountain bike community is excited for this feature and supportive of the first of its kind open space trail grade-separated crossing in the Pikes Peak Region.
Per the North Cheyenne Cañon Park Master Plan, Captain Morgans is recommended for directional mountain bike traffic with a secondary future trail alignment. Additional improvements and enhancements to Captain Morgans will be completed as funding allows and are outside the scope of work for this project. The grade separated interchange supports the long-term vision for Captain Morgans Trail, the North Cheyenne Cañon Park Master Plan and could serve as a potential route for the Pikes Peak APEX in the future.
The second award is going to Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates (MWTA), who has adopted the Buckhorn Trail. The funds will go to purchasing a grip hoist to move large rocks more easily to help maintain this and other trails. The Buckhorn trail is part of the North Cheyenne Canon course of this year’s Pikes Peak APEX. This Stewardship Fund investment will enable MWTA to expand its support of the trail system throughout the region, including future APEX courses.
The final award supports Friends of the Peak’s trail maintenance work, particularly on St. Mary’s Falls. Friends of the Peak (FOTP) hosts trail work days across Pikes Peak, with four already scheduled on St. Mary’s Falls this season. APEX is looking to include an enduro race in the future and St. Mary’s Falls is a desired route but the trail is unfortunately in rough shape. The USFS has been very supportive of the PPORA Stewardship Fund supporting organizations like FOTP and MWTA and the work they do on USFS land.
Registration is open for the 2023 Pikes Peak APEX, scheduled for September 8-10, with both single-day and multi-day mountain bike race options as well as a 5k and 10k trail run. A portion of all registrations goes toward the PPORA Stewardship Fund, to continue to enhance our great trails.
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