Manitou officials say city 'forced' to give in to Incline hikers

Faced with hordes of hikers who are going to use the Manitou Incline whether it’s legal or not, Manitou Springs City Council members are moving toward a vote on an agreement for managing the popular trail.

But during a work session Tuesday night, it was clear some are holding their noses, and questions remain about parking for the 300,000 to 500,000 people who hike the trail each year.

“What’s next? What next are people going to demand ‘we get to do’ and we’re not going to stop it?” said Councilman Michael Gerbig. “We’re approaching this because we’re forced to and we’re not getting much.”

The former railroad line runs 2,000 feet upward in a mile from Ruxton Avenue, some of it through private property. An intergovernmental agreement has been proposed between Manitou and Colorado Springs for managing the Incline.

Manitou Springs Mayor Marc Snyder said, when first elected, he investigated whether the trail could be blocked off to the public, but now he sees legitimizing it as the only choice.

“To me our options are either status quo or try to work through this process,” Snyder said.

Council members decided to vote on the agreement on Feb. 28, the same day as Colorado Springs City Council.

Despite optimistic assertions by some that it could be open this summer, officials from both cities agree it won’t open until it is made safe — dangerous rebar sections removed, falling railroad ties stabilized, etc. Some of that work will be done by volunteers at a work day in May.

“If I were an elected official in Colorado Springs, I would have to think long and hard about opening something that has some inherently dangerous sections,” Snyder said.

Colorado Springs parks director Kurt Schroeder said the trail can’t be made 100 percent accident-proof.

“When you go up there, you are taking some personal responsibility to conduct yourself in a safe and appropriate manner,” he said.

If the agreement is approved this month, parking solutions will come later. Manitou officials have hired a consultant to do a parking study, which will identify measures, possibly including resident-only spaces, time limits and fees.