ACORD: Well-planned trail offers solitary Pikes Peak route

By Deb Acord, Special to the Rocky

Published July 14, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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About this time of year, the main route to the summit of Pikes Peak is a little crowded - not crowded in the I-25-at-5-o'clock sense, but crowded for a Fourteener trail. That route, Barr Trail, will be positively packed in August when it's the site of the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Pikes Peak Marathon.

Until recently, Barr was the only practical way to reach the top, whether you were training or not, but now hikers have a choice.

Devil's Playground Trail, on the other side of Pikes Peak, offers more than solitude. It's a well-planned trail that starts at 10,100 feet and ends at 14,115 feet about 8.5 miles later. For those who care about breath-zapping details, that's a savings of 3,000 vertical feet and about four miles over Barr Trail.

Begin on the Crags Trail, a route loved by locals for its scenic value. In less than a quarter- mile, the trail veers off and crosses a creek. (Watch for a sign for Trail 664A.)

From there, head steadily uphill through dense trees, followed by an alpine meadow. Above tree line, the landscape becomes more moonscape, with clusters of pink granite in a wind-scoured basin.

The first grouping of rocks signals that you're nearing Pikes Peak Highway. Keep going to a second group of rocks and old tracks that will take you to the highway. At the road, cross over and climb over the cable fencing, looking for a social trail, an unofficial trail that diverges from the existing one.

This trail follows the highway route, a barren stretch, high above tree line, where you'll hear the duet of marmot and pica in the ever-present wind. Watch for cairns, or rock piles, along here. You won't cross the highway again and will walk next to it only once, at the Ghost Town Hollow curve, where a rock wall is built. Stay along the wall and then pick up the trail again after the cliff.

At a glance

* What: Devil's Playground

* Where: on Pikes Peak, west of Colorado Springs

* To get there: From Denver, take Interstate 25 south to Colorado Springs. From Colorado Springs, take U.S. Highway 24 west. Turn left on Colorado Highway 67 and drive 4.3 miles. Turn left at the Crags Campground sign (Teller County Road 62). At the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp intersection, turn right. Continue until you reach the campground, then turn left and drive to the trailhead parking area. About 104 miles from Denver.

* Watch for: black bear, mule deer, mountain lions, marmots, ptarmigans

* Best part: It's a new way to explore a popular Fourteener.

* Difficulty of hike: difficult, with elevation gain of 4,100 feet in 8.5 miles

* Details: Not handicapped-accessible. Dogs allowed. Bikes allowed, but trail is best-suited for hiking. Pit toilet at the trailhead, with a full-service visitor center at summit of Pikes Peak. Camping at Crags Campground is first-come, first-served. Dispersed camping also is allowed.

* Information: Pikes Peak district of the Pike National Forest, 1-719-636-1602, http://www.fs. fed.us/r2/psicc/pp/

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