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At a glance:
Distance: 6.5 miles (one way)
Difficulty: Hard Ascent: 3,800 ft Map Link: Barr Trail Website: Barr Trail Google Maps Link: Barr Trail Dogs: Yes Bikes: Yes |
Barr Trail to Barr Camp
This is a great hike if you don't have time to go all the way to top of Pike's Peak. Barr Trail is a well used trail, but it is a beautiful trail and worth the congestion on the first part of the trail to get to spend time in an awesome forest. The first part of the trail is a pretty serious ascent, but the second half is a little more mellow. Great for a training run, great for a weekend hike or to prepare for other 14ers to come.
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Barr Trail to barr camp
getting there:
Address: 98 Hydro St, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
1) Head down I-25 (southbound) to exit 141 for US-24 toward Cimarron St.
2) Head West toward Manitou Springs / Woodland Park on US-24.
3) I like to skip going through Manitou and head past that exit and get off on Serpentine Drive from US-24.
4) Make the sharp turn and head into Manitou on Serpentine Drive until the traffic circle, then head down Manitou Ave.
5) At the next traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto Ruxton Ave.
6) Ruxton Ave then becomes Winter St.
7) Follow winter street and park in the parking lot designated for Barr Trail (you will have to pay a little fee to use this lot, but its worth it).
1) Head down I-25 (southbound) to exit 141 for US-24 toward Cimarron St.
2) Head West toward Manitou Springs / Woodland Park on US-24.
3) I like to skip going through Manitou and head past that exit and get off on Serpentine Drive from US-24.
4) Make the sharp turn and head into Manitou on Serpentine Drive until the traffic circle, then head down Manitou Ave.
5) At the next traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto Ruxton Ave.
6) Ruxton Ave then becomes Winter St.
7) Follow winter street and park in the parking lot designated for Barr Trail (you will have to pay a little fee to use this lot, but its worth it).
The hike:
From the parking lot, make sure to get on the trail at the south end of the parking lot by the bathrooms. You can easily go to the incline trail, which will eventually take you to the Barr Trail via misery.
From the parking lot, the trail goes straight into a steep climb hitting a bunch of switchbacks until you are deep and high in the forest. This part is called the W's by the locals. They last for about 3 miles. Be aware that there is a lot of exposure to the East and if hiking in teh summer, the sun can be a bit brutal. I like to start this hike early on a summer day otherwise it can be a rather sweaty, dusty experience. As you climb, you will get to a fork in the road that goes to the Incline about 2.5 miles in to your hike. You will have likely seen people running down the trail as you hike up as their reward for suffering through the Incline.
Once Passed the Incline connector, it's a little less crowded and you'll continue on about 1 mile until you come to No-Name Creek. There is a trail here that goes off into the Experimental Forest (what the heck is an experimental forest anyway, if the experiment pans out does it become a regular forest like everyone else one day?)
After no-name creek, things are a little more mellow and there are great views of Pike's Peak, Almagre Peak and plenty of time in the forest with trees all around. Barr Camp is staffed and there are usually people hanging out here. It's just a cool place in the middle of the woods on the side of a mountain.
From the parking lot, the trail goes straight into a steep climb hitting a bunch of switchbacks until you are deep and high in the forest. This part is called the W's by the locals. They last for about 3 miles. Be aware that there is a lot of exposure to the East and if hiking in teh summer, the sun can be a bit brutal. I like to start this hike early on a summer day otherwise it can be a rather sweaty, dusty experience. As you climb, you will get to a fork in the road that goes to the Incline about 2.5 miles in to your hike. You will have likely seen people running down the trail as you hike up as their reward for suffering through the Incline.
Once Passed the Incline connector, it's a little less crowded and you'll continue on about 1 mile until you come to No-Name Creek. There is a trail here that goes off into the Experimental Forest (what the heck is an experimental forest anyway, if the experiment pans out does it become a regular forest like everyone else one day?)
After no-name creek, things are a little more mellow and there are great views of Pike's Peak, Almagre Peak and plenty of time in the forest with trees all around. Barr Camp is staffed and there are usually people hanging out here. It's just a cool place in the middle of the woods on the side of a mountain.