4 August 2008
Barr Trail
Posted by kris under: Trails .
Name of Trial: Barr Trail
Total Distance: 12.6 – 26 miles
Elevation Gain: 7,300 feet
Difficulty: Hard to Very Hard
Hike Type: Out and back
Starting Location: At the end of Hydro St. off of Ruxton Ave in Manitou Springs
To get to Barr Trail, follow the signs to the Cog Railway but instead of stopping at the railway go past it and take Hydro St. on the right side of the road. If you can’t find parking there, which is a pretty good chance, then there is some more parking bellow the Cog Railway.
This trail can be an all day hike so make sure to give yourself enough time to get up (and back if you plan on doing so) and make sure that you are prepared with food and water for one way. The weather at the top can be unpredictable, especially in the afternoons, so make sure to pack warmer cloth for the top because it will always be a lot colder (by 30 degrees or more).
The start of the hike has many switchbacks and goes in and out of the trees. As you climb you will have a better and better view of Manitou Springs and the Cog Railway bellow. It is a well worn dirt path and on weekends you will come across many people going up and down. The first 3 miles go up at a good incline so make sure to pace yourself. After about 3 miles you will have a great view of Gog and Magog to the south as well as a glimpse of the Cog Railway tracks. The trail continues to climb for the most part and the trail starts to become a little wider.
After about 4 miles into the hike the trail becomes more level with some inclines in the middle for about the next two miles. This is where you are walking along the ridge towards the base of final incline up to the top. As you get closer to Barr Camp the trail starts to go up again. At Barr Camp you will find benches resting and eating, shelters for camping, and a cabin with some friendly people inviting you in to sign their logbook. This is a good spot to have a meal and enjoy the great wilderness around you. At this point you have hiked 6.5 miles and you are at 10,200 feet, so even though you are more then half way up the mountain you have more then half of the elevation to climb.
Once you have enjoyed Barr Camp you will continue going up the trail as it gets steeper and a little more rocky/gravely. You will start to have some great views of the ridge that you just walked along and the city beyond that. At about 9.5 mile and over 11,000 foot mark you start to hike above timberline. At this point you will see an old A-frame shelter that you can take a look at and get information about it.
Above timberline, you have to be extra cautious of the Sun since you are at such a high altitude and there are no trees to shade you. This part of the trail is very gravely and rocky so be careful as you climb. The last 3 miles of the hike are the hardest, because there is a lot less oxygen, so you have to make sure that you are breathing correctly, and there is about 2,600 feet in elevation to climb. All the way up this section, make sure to stop and take a look at some of the wildflowers as well as the view of the city bellow. There are some great panoramic views above timberline so take some breaks on the way up and take it all in. In the first mile above timberline you clime over 1,000 feet in elevation but the hard part is still to come. In the last mile of the hike there are the 16 Golden Stairs which are quite hard since you have just hiked over 12 miles up at this point and some of the stairs are quite high. But soon you will see the people that took the Cog Railway or drove up the mountain and you will know that you have reached the top.
Once you have reached this point there are some great overlooks and you can checkout the gift shop and cafeteria to restock and rest if you need to. You now have a choice to make, you can either hike back down or take the Cog Railway down. Which one you choose really has to do with how much time you have before sunset, you can assume that it will take a little less time going down but not much, and how you feel physically.
The first 3 miles of the hike down you have to be careful with all of the rocks and gravel but once you get bellow the timberline it is a nice hike back. Over all I liked the challenge of this trail and the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top. It is a long and hard hike so just make sure that you are prepared for it and don’t hesitate to turning around at any point if you think that you will not be able to make it to the top or back down.
To see photos that I took while on my hike go to my Photo Gallery.
