Red Mountain Trail (Manitou Springs)

Red Mountain is the 7,300-foot knob above the south side of Manitou Springs, with the concrete footings of an incline railway from the 1910s on its summit and a view over the town to Pikes Peak. The trail is a steep 0.8 mile from the Intemann Trail, about 2.5 miles round trip from town, reached on foot from downtown, and it is the quiet alternative for anyone who wants the Incline's view without the Incline's crowd or reservation.

The Red Mountain trail leaves the Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail, the path that traverses the hillside above Manitou. The shortest approach starts near the top of Ruxton Avenue by the Barr Trail area, where the Intemann Trail can be joined and followed a short way to the signed Red Mountain spur.

The spur climbs steeply through scrub oak and pine on a rocky, sometimes loose trail, gaining about 700 feet in under a mile, to the summit. The old incline footings and cable anchors are at the top, and the view takes in Manitou below, Colorado Springs beyond, and Pikes Peak to the west. Return the same way, or make a loop by continuing on the Intemann Trail through town.

Manitou Springs has no dedicated lot for Red Mountain. The Intemann Trail can be reached from the top of Ruxton Avenue near the Barr Trail lot, which is paid and full by dawn, or from the town's free lot at Memorial Park, which adds a mile of the Intemann Trail each way. The town's free shuttle stops on Ruxton. No fee or permit for the trail.

Dogs are allowed on leash. The open space is open dawn to dusk; the old summit pavilion is gone, but the incline's concrete footings remain. The trail is short and steep enough for kids who scramble; the summit is a rocky top with drop-offs. Carry water; there is none on the route. The incline footings are historic and fragile. Manitou Springs has restaurants and the mineral springs at the bottom. The Manitou Incline and Barr Trail start a few hundred yards away, and the Manitou Springs hikes page has the rest.