Manitou Springs Incline
The Manitou Springs Incline, officially known as the Manitou Incline, is a steep hiking trail located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, near Colorado Springs in El Paso County. It's brutal. The trail ascends approximately 2,744 feet (836 meters) over a distance of roughly 0.9 miles (1.4 kilometers), making it one of the steepest continuously hiked trails in the United States.[1] With an average grade of approximately 41 percent, the route includes numerous wooden steps constructed directly into the mountainside, along with natural terrain that'll test your legs and your will. Hikers and fitness enthusiasts flock here for a challenging cardiovascular workout, and it's become increasingly well-known among outdoor recreation communities throughout Colorado and beyond. At the top, you'll find expansive views of Colorado Springs, the surrounding Pikes Peak region, and the eastern plains of Colorado.
History
Late nineteenth century. That's when the Manitou Incline was born. The area surrounding Manitou Springs was being developed as a tourist destination during Colorado's mining boom era, and someone had the idea to build a trail to the summit region of Mount Manitou, which rises to an elevation of 8,385 feet above sea level. Early accounts suggest that local residents and developers built the wooden steps and improved the pathway so visitors could experience the mountain landscape that characterized the Pikes Peak region. They used manual labor and basic materials, with wooden railroad ties and locally sourced timber forming the stepped pathway that remains substantially intact today.
Throughout the twentieth century, the Manitou Incline became an established local hiking destination. But it wasn't famous. The trail's reputation grew gradually through word-of-mouth among hikers and outdoor enthusiasts in the Colorado Springs metropolitan area, staying relatively quiet compared to other Colorado trails. In recent decades, everything changed. Social media and online hiking databases put the Incline on the map, and its popularity exploded. The trail gained substantial attention through fitness communities and ultrarunners who recognized its extreme steepness and short distance as an ideal venue for high-intensity training. This surge in popularity brought both increased foot traffic and associated maintenance challenges to the narrow pathway.[2]
Geography
The Manitou Incline sits within the Pikes Peak region of the Colorado Front Range, positioned on the western slopes of Mount Manitou immediately above the town of Manitou Springs. You'll find the trailhead at approximately 6,800 feet elevation in the lower canyon area, accessible via Ruxton Avenue. The geographical setting places the trail within a transition zone between ponderosa pine forest at lower elevations and higher-altitude forest communities dominated by Douglas fir and other conifers. What makes this place so extreme is the abrupt elevation gain concentrated over an extremely short horizontal distance, creating what mountaineers and trail runners refer to as an "ascent rate" that frequently exceeds 50 percent grade in sections.
Precambrian granite and metamorphic rock formations underlie the Manitou Incline. These ancient basement rocks provide relatively stable footing despite their steepness, though weathering and erosion continuously modify the trail surface. The wooden steps serve as the primary infrastructure throughout much of the trail, preventing severe erosion that would otherwise result from the combination of steep gradient and significant foot traffic. In some sections barely three feet wide, the narrow trail corridor traverses the mountainside with minimal switchbacks, requiring hikers to ascend nearly vertically in places.
Winter brings danger. Ice accumulation on wooden steps creates slipping hazards, and several fatalities and serious injuries have occurred during winter months.[3]
Culture
The Manitou Incline occupies a distinctive position within Colorado's hiking and fitness culture, representing an extreme fitness challenge that's attracted increasingly diverse participant groups. Ultrarunners love it. These competitive trail runners have incorporated the Incline into their training regimens for high-altitude endurance events, and the standard challenge involves ascending and descending the trail in under one hour, a goal achieved by a relatively small percentage of hikers attempting the route. Some experienced athletes complete the round trip in substantially shorter timeframes, with the fastest ascent times recorded in the range of fifteen to twenty minutes, though such performances require exceptional fitness levels and significant prior acclimation to high altitude.
It's become embedded in Colorado Springs recreational culture as a milestone achievement for serious hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Completion of the Incline is frequently referenced as a personal accomplishment and fitness benchmark, and many residents consider it a defining local hiking experience. The trail has generated substantial online discussion through hiking forums, social media platforms, and fitness websites, where users share experiences, training advice, and route variations. This cultural prominence has raised accessibility discussions within outdoor recreation communities, as the extreme difficulty and safety hazards create barriers for many potential participants. The concentrated user base has also prompted conservation discussions regarding trail maintenance, environmental impact, and sustainable recreation practices in the Manitou Springs area.
Attractions
The Manitou Incline itself serves as the primary attraction, though the surrounding Manitou Springs area offers complementary outdoor recreation and cultural amenities. The town features historic architecture dating to the late nineteenth century, including Victorian-era buildings, art galleries, restaurants, and small retail establishments. The broader Pikes Peak region provides numerous additional hiking trails at varying difficulty levels, including routes to the summit of Pikes Peak itself, which is accessible via hiking trail, cog railway, or automobile via the Pikes Peak Highway.
The vistas are worth it. From the Incline's terminus area, you'll see expansive panoramas encompassing Colorado Springs, the surrounding plains extending eastward, and the Rampart Range to the north and west. These panoramic views represent a significant attraction for hikers who complete the ascent, offering visual reward commensurate with the physical exertion required. The adjacent landscape near the summit includes montane forest habitat and alpine meadow areas supporting diverse plant and animal communities. On clear days, visibility extends across the Colorado Front Range, and evening ascents allow hikers to observe sunset phenomena across the expansive plains east of Colorado Springs. The Barr Trail, which provides an alternative and less steep route to Pikes Peak's summit, intersects with the Incline's upper sections, allowing experienced hikers to combine multiple trail systems into extended backpacking expeditions.
Transportation
Access to the Manitou Incline trailhead is primarily achieved through private automobile. You can park along Ruxton Avenue near the trail's lower terminus in Manitou Springs. Limited public transportation serves the Manitou Springs area, with the City of Colorado Springs providing some bus service to downtown Manitou Springs, though visitors typically require personal vehicle access to reach the specific trailhead location. The trail itself accommodates only foot traffic, with bicycles, horses, and mechanized vehicles prohibited due to the narrow pathway and steep gradient.
Plan on one to two hours for the round trip, depending on fitness level, acclimation to altitude, and individual pacing. The descent frequently requires more time than the ascent for many hikers, as the steep downward gradient creates significant strain on joints and requires careful foot placement to prevent falls. Experienced trail runners may complete the round trip in substantially shorter timeframes, though this requires exceptional fitness and prior experience with the specific route. The narrow corridor and concentrated traffic during peak usage periods can create congestion, particularly during weekends and popular weather windows, potentially extending overall visit duration.