Pikes Peak Road Runners

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Places to Run in the Pikes Peak Region

Downtown Lunchtime Running Routes (Courtesy Jon Cornick)

Here are some great places to run in the Pikes Peak Region. Get off the main drag and try these places out.  For out-of-towners, the main north-south trail covers about 35 miles.  It starts in Palmer Lake and heads south through the towns of Monument, the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs and ends in Fountain.  There are many other trails that connect to the main trail.  The main trail has different names, depending on where you are.  The northern section from Palmer Lake to the northern Colorado Springs border is known as the New Santa Fe Regional Trail.  The middle section within Colorado Springs is known as the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail.  The southern section south of Colorado Springs is known as the Fountain Creek Regional Trail.  If you are staying along the I-25 corridor, chances are the main north-south trail is just a short jog away.

Northern portion of the Main North-South Trail (Palmer Lake, Monument, Air Force Academy)

• New Santa Fe Regional Trail
• New Santa Fe Regional Trail (El Paso County Parks pdf version, opens new window)
• New Santa Fe Regional Trail (Trail map from above, and includes links to articles on the history of the areas along the trail.  The articles were written by Jack Anthony.)

Middle portion of the Main North-South Trail (Colorado Springs)

• Pikes Peak Greenway Trail (opens new window)

Southern portion of the Main North-South Trail (southern Colorado Springs to Fountain)

• Fountain Creek Regional Trail (El Paso County Parks pdf version, opens new window)

Other Parks and Trails

• Urban Trail Maps (Trails within the Colorado Springs area)
• Palmer Park (Lots of challenging trails in the middle of town.  Hilly.)
• Fox Run Regional Park (Near Monument & Black Forest, has a great 3-mile loop through the woods. Hilly.)
• Fox Run Regional Park (pdf version, opens new window)
• Monument Valley Park (Adjacent to downtown Colorado Springs.  Flat.  Pikes Peak Greenway goes through this park.)
• Bear Creek Trails (pdf version, opens new window.  Connects to Pikes Peak Greenway on the east, and to Pike National Forest on the west.  Hilly.)
• Mount Herman Road
• Barr Trail (The Granddaddy of them all!  Goes to summit of Pikes Peak.)
• Garden of the Gods (The beauty will take your breath away, or maybe it's the hills that will take your breath away.  Plenty of trails in the park, and most of the paved roads have a wide bicycle lane that is available for running.)
• Waldo Canyon (Great variety, wonderful workout.  Parking at trailhead fills early on weekend mornings.  Hilly.)
• Memorial Park (Large park about 1 mile east of downtown Colorado Springs.  Also includes swimming, ice skating, picnic areas and more.)
• Cheyenne Canyon (Columbine trails (lower, middle, upper) gain about 1,000 feet in elevation.)
• Stratton Open Space (Run up to the reservoir and enjoy the views.)
• Ute Indian Trail
• Rampart Reservoir
• Parks and Recreation map
• Trail Maps from colorado lottery site

Check out the new Trails and Open Spaces Web site. The site lists many trails for hiking, running, and walking in the Pikes Peak Region.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at webmaster@pprrun.org