Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Near Colorado Springs     |     20 Miles     |     Moderate     |     6,077 Feet     |     Cheyenne Mountain State Park

General Description

Cheyenne Mountain State Park is a new addition to Colorado’s state park system. It is located under the massive Cheyenne Mountain offering about 20 miles of trails of various difficulty. Campsites are also available for overnight stay. List of trails: Blackmer Loop Trail: 3.52 miles of moderate trail with moderate elevation gain. A park staff favorite because of great​ pines and rock gardens along the way. Visitors can even view a stunning pine growing out from a boulder. Boulder Run Trail: A one-mile moderate trail with some elevation gain offering a nice view of park open space and the Limekiln Valley, an active wildlife corridor. Cougars Shadow Trail: A 0.85-mile, moderate, thick forest and nicely shaded single-track trail ideal for mountain bikes. Coyote Run Trail: A 1.37 miles of easy to moderate, gentle sloping interpretive trail that’s close to the visitor’s center. Great for a learn-as-you-go experience, a great horned owl has been spotted here. Let the visitor’s center know if he appears on your journey. Sundance: A 3.29 easy, mostly flat trail with minor elevation gain.  Great for fitness training, the trail runs through a prairie dog town, so watch out; these cute critters are watching too. Talon: 2.64 miles moderate trail with increasing elevation gain, it begins as a prairie hike and traverses through the scrub oak to the montane.  Vegetation and views change along the way, so there’s no chance to get bored, only inspired. Talon North: 1.60 miles moderate trail of some elevation gain with an amazing overlook.  This makes a great “AHA” moment after a nice hike or ride.  Talon South: 0.98-mile moderate trail with a gentle slope among lush vegetation and the trail bisects a large rock fin before looping south through interesting terrain. Zook Loop: 1.03 easy, mostly flat trail that connects with several trails.  It leads to “The Rock Garden,” which is a great place to sit and enjoy the wonders of nature.”

Biker Description

Most of these trails were not designed with the mountain biker in mind, but a few of them make for a pretty good ride. There are great training climbs (Talon, Blackmer, Cougar’s Shadow). Around the bottom, the trails are wide and well manicured so that families with strollers can negotiatie them, but the higher you go, the narrower and more technical they get. The one exception is the Medicine Wheel Trail, which is near the bottom, is a half mile technical rock fest. For a good overall ride, hit the Talon/South Talon/North Talon trails and come back down. then head up Medicine Wheel to Blackmer to Cougar’s Shadow, back on to Blackmer and Medicine Wheel, Boulder Run also has a few technical challenges. Although not the best ride in the area, this is a welcome addition to C-Springs’ already impressive MTB resume. there is a $6 fee/vehicle to enter the park.

https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7024038/the-centennial-trail-669