Camp on Pikes Peak highway 1 night

  Coming up on July 20, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will take place again. I keep hearing that this is the only time of the year when camping is allowed on Pikes Peak. Isn't Pikes Peak in Pike National Forest? I thought camping was always allowed on National Forest land.

Robert Veghte

   Although Pikes Peak is in Pike National Forest, the City of Colorado Springs has the contract to administer Pikes Peak Highway.

   Hearty backpackers can hike up Barr Trail to camp on the mountain, but it's not open to those using the highway, which is closed at night.

   City spokeswoman Carrie McCausland learned from acting Pikes Peak Highway manager Jack Glavan that the city had examined the possibility of opening the peak to camping in the 1990s, but it was not considered economically feasible.

   "It's not that it couldn't be done; it's more than just people pitching a tent," Mc-Causland said.

   The city would have to submit a proposal to the Forest Service, there would be a study, and, if the project went forward, they would have to add potable water, bathroom facilities, round-the-clock staff and the gate to the highway would have to be manned 24/7, she said.

   "The road isn't set up for nighttime travel, and that would have to be part of the equation: making it safe for regular nighttime travel," she said.

   "The corridor is 150 feet from the highway, and people can camp outside that corridor, although their cars can't be there overnight," she said.

   Now, about that one night of camping: permits are on sale for July 19, the night before the International Hill Climb. It's $100 per vehicle and the campgrounds open at noon. The three areas are Glen Cove, Ski Area and Halfway Picnic Ground campgrounds.

   For more details, go to www.ppihc.com/content.aspx?tabid=5&contentid=174.

   THE OLDER THEATER: I have a bet going about which theater is older, Cinemark 16 or Tinseltown.

J. Blanchard

   Tinseltown opened in March 1998; Cinemark 16 and Cinemark IMAX opened in December 2000. Did you win? 
 
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