Pikes Peak Area Reopens To Public After Being Off Limits For 100+ Years
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- This weeekend an area of Pikes Peak, the Southern Slope, is reopening to the public after it was off limits for more than a century.
The area is a 15-square mile recreational area on Pikes Peak's south face which is home to bighorn sheep. There are also several reservoirs on the property that were built between 1878 and 1912.
Two of those reservoirs are open to fishing but hunting and camping activities are not allowed.
Volunteer groups have built several hiking and biking trails on the Southern Slope.
The area was closed to the public in 1913 when the federal government gave the deed to the City of Colorado Springs for watershed protection.
The Southern Slope will be open this weekend and next, Oct. 11 and 12 before it closes for the winter.