What to wear to hike the Incline
What to wear on the Colorado Springs Incline, just normal hiking or running clothes will be perfectly fine, some people where gloves to help them climb up some of the tracks. However most people just where normal clothes hiking the incline.Check out the photos of the incline below of what you can expect to see and hike in Colorado Springs.
If you are visiting Colorado and live at a low elevation please be careful on this hike, many tourists get altitude sickness on the hike because they dont drink enough water and push them selves to much on the hike. If you still want to hike this try not to hike it your first day in the Springs, do it on day 3 or 4.
Where is the Incline Located
The Colorado Springs Incline is actually located in Manitou Springs which isjust west of Colorado Springs and the incline is just located of the main street in Manitou ave just take a left onto Ruxton Ave and then it will be a few blocks then you can park near the Cog Railroad that goes to Pikes Peak. Below is a map of where exactly the trail head of the Incline starts for people who are going to try it out for the first time.
The Incline Colorado Springs
The Colorado Springs area has beautiful terrain ranging from grass lands to the Rocky Mountains. There are several hikes throughout the area none any popular then the Colorado Springs incline. The Incline used to be an old cable car track that took you to the top of Manitou Mountain. The Cable car was closed in 1990 but the railroad ties still remain. These railroad ties turned into a challenging hike not to long after the cable car was closed.
The hike up the railroad ties is extremely steep and difficult. This incline goes up to 9,250 feet and is only a mile long but don’t let the distance fool you, it is the longest and highest incline in the world. The hike has over 2,000 stepsmaking it a great workout for everyone. The hike is for people that are looking for a challenging hike just outside of town. Since the hike is so popular usually finding a parking spot can be difficult and some places even charge a $5.00 fee. No matter how many cars are in the parking lot it never feels like the trail is crowded. You could see tons of people on the trail when you first get started and look up but most of them you will never run in to since most people take another hike down called "Bar Trail" down. This hike could be dangerous so this hike is not recommended for everyone. It is a dog friendly trail but make sure that you have water for your dog because your dog will need it on the top.
Hiking Down the Incline
Coming down the Colorado Springs Incline is very dangerous so I would highly recommend taking bar trail down. Bar trail is a little longer coming down it is 2.5 miles from the top of the incline down to the parking lot. However it is a lot easier on your joints. In most cases it is actually a little quicker to run down bar trail then trying to be careful and go down the incline.
Facts about Colorado Springs Incline
The incline use to be illigeal to hike but since 2013 is not able to hike. Lots of voulenterrs have made the hike safer, fixing a lot of the railroad ties, so there is a lot less to worry about. A lot of voulenteers came together to fix the trail, and they are continously maintiaining the trail to keep it safe for all. THANK YOU for keeping the hike unique and fun.