23 June 2008
The Incline
Posted by kris under: Trails .
Name of Trial: The Incline Trail
Total Distance: 1.6 - 2.8 miles
Elevation Gain: ~1900 ft
Difficulty: Very Hard
Hike Type: Out and back or Loop
Starting Location: Next to the Cog Railway and Barr Trail in Manitou Springs.
To get to the Incline Trail, you need to head towards the Cog Railway by heading up Hwy 24. Take the Manitou Ave exit and head west. Then take Ruxton Ave. to the Cog Railway and park anywhere you can. The base of the trail can be found on the north side of the Cog Railway parking lot.
The trail is very easy to see while you are approaching because it cuts strait up the side of the mountain. This hike is not very long but it has about 3000 steps that go up almost 1900 ft in only 0.83 miles. The overall incline is about 44% but some sections are much greater then this. It starts off at a mild incline but soon becomes steeper and steeper. The trail is well maintain (I have seen people working on it every time I have gone up it) and has railroad tie steps all of the way up. It can be a little slick in spots because of the incline but as long as you are watch where you step you should be fine. At about 3/4 of the way up, the trail levels off giving you a little break but it soon becomes very steep all the way to the top.
If you take breaks on the way up, there are some great views of Manitou Springs which are well worth it. Once you get to the top of the trail you can either go back down the way you came or go to the left and take a trail that leads to Barr Trail. I personally go to Barr Trail because it is hard going down the Incline and can be a little treacherous in section. If you take the Barr Trail the total distance is about 2.8 miles and it is a lot more pleasant of a hike with some good views along the way.
I really like this trail for a nice hard workout. It is great for building up your stamina and strengthening your legs. But you should really make sure you are ready for it because it is quite a workout.
3 Comments so far...
The Incline Says:
23 June 2008 at 11:26 pm.
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt [...]
Steve Says:
24 June 2008 at 12:35 pm.
Isn’t this trail on private land? The local media reports that everyone using it is trespassing.
kris Says:
24 June 2008 at 10:27 pm.
I did not know that this was private land. There are a lot of people on it so that is very interesting.
