Closing a Key Gap: Ute Pass Trail and the First Formal Ring the Peak Trailhead
For more than a decade, El Paso County Parks has advanced an 11-mile multi-use trail connecting Manitou Springs through Cascade and Green Mountain Falls. The remaining segments and a formal trailhead are essential to closing a major northeastern gap in the Ring the Peak Trail and creating a much-needed community hub.
Peak Exceptionalism provides targeted support for the final trail segment (approximately 1.5 miles from Winnemucca Road to Spring Street in Cascade) and the associated trailhead/parking area.
Q2 2026 Progress Initial trail work began in April 2026. Trailhead-related grant work starts in August. A finalized MOU with Pikes Peak Outdoors and the County for the Peak Exceptionalism projects is still pending.
Once complete, the trailhead will serve as the first formal Ring the Peak portal in this corridor, improving access, wayfinding, and connectivity for residents and visitors while supporting the larger vision of a continuous, well-managed loop around America’s Mountain.
