At a glance:
Distance: 3.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy Ascent: 201ft Map Link: Black Forest Section 16 Website: Black Forest Section 16 Google Maps Link: Black Forest Section 16 Dogs: On a leash Bikes: Yes |
Black Forest Section 16
This is a good place for a leisurely afternoon or Sunday afternoon stroll in the woods. We tend to come here and race it on our mountain bikes (usually in combination with The Pineries by heading up Vollmer Rd) or by biking it twice. There's some good climbing and some fun rollers on the bikes. It's also a good place for a trail run and you can often see kids from the local High Schools running here.
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Black Forest Section 16
getting there:
Address: 8510 Burgess Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80908
1) From Colorado Springs, head North on I-25 to Briargate Pkwy (exit 151).
2) Turn left onto Voyager Pkwy and continue 1 mile until you get to Old Ranch Road where you will turn right.
3) Continue 2.2 miles on Old Ranch Road and go around the traffic circle (staying on Old Ranch Road) and continue another 1.1 miles
4) At the stop sign, turn left onto Milam Road and continue 0.9 miles until you see Burgess Road.
5) Take a right on Burgess Road and continue 3.8 miles where you will see the parking lot on the left.
1) From Colorado Springs, head North on I-25 to Briargate Pkwy (exit 151).
2) Turn left onto Voyager Pkwy and continue 1 mile until you get to Old Ranch Road where you will turn right.
3) Continue 2.2 miles on Old Ranch Road and go around the traffic circle (staying on Old Ranch Road) and continue another 1.1 miles
4) At the stop sign, turn left onto Milam Road and continue 0.9 miles until you see Burgess Road.
5) Take a right on Burgess Road and continue 3.8 miles where you will see the parking lot on the left.
The Hike:
For some reason, we always do this hike by heading to the right (counter clockwise) out of the parking. You will head into the forest, and then down a steep hill, and then up a steep hill. The trail then heads parallel to Vollmer Road. It's a steady climb past School in the Woods until you get to the junction of Shoup Road and Vollmer Road. There's a little sneak exit here if you need to bail to go somewhere else. Otherwise, the "back section" is 0.9 miles of flowy trail. There's another sneak exit here at the corner of Herring and Shoup. The trail continues back toward the parking lot with some more rolling hills. Once you get to the front, it's pretty flat all the way to the parking lot. The fun thing is that each side is just about 1 mile, nearly a perfect square. How often does that happen?