The Colorado Springs parks board this month heard plans and goals for new trails and open space projects for 2024.

David Deitemeyer, the parks department’s senior landscape architect, started his presentation with Austin Bluffs Open Space. That’s the mosaic of meadows and woods surrounding Pulpit Rock, given that open space name in a 2020 master plan.

Deitemeyer said the year will see some finishing touches on the trail network envisioned in that plan, spanning close to 20 miles. That will include a new hiking-only path up Pulpit Rock. A multi-use trail was previously built to the rock’s top, accessed from the rough, informal parking lot off Nevada Avenue that has been under construction and expansion this month.

The hiking-only trail to the summit “won’t be like an Incline,” Deitemeyer said, referring to Manitou’s mountainside stair stepper, “but very similar in the sense we’re providing hiking access as direct as we can.”

Colorado Springs’ next great escape: A look at Fishers Canyon Open Space

Farther north, talks continue over a master plan for an expanded Blodgett Open Space. After more than a year of studies and meetings, the parks board and Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) working committee are expected in the months ahead to decide on the plan that has been criticized by conservationists and neighbors.

Should the plan be approved, Deitemeyer said work this year could start on a new parking lot and trailhead in an area planned for multi-use and mountain bike-only trails. He also said the city could move forward in seeking a consultant to satisfy the U.S. Forest Service’s requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — seen as the first step toward land managers partnering on a formal trail to Blodgett Peak’s summit.

On the opposite, southwest side of town, the city is launching surveys and a series of public meetings in crafting a master plan for Fishers Canyon Open Space. Meetings are slated to start this spring.

Another historic lake set to return to Colorado Springs park

Acquired in 2021, Fishers Canyon’s 343 acres lie behind the Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood, bordering Cheyenne Mountain State Park and Pike National Forest. Fishers Canyon is envisioned to house the region-touring Chamberlain Trail, which would continue there out of North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

In North Cheyenne Cañon, Deitemeyer plans to oversee a project extending Ladders Trail — a multi-use stretch from Stratton Open Space to parallel Gold Camp Road for almost 3 miles. Deitemeyer said he is also eyeing a new half-mile trail that would provide better access to an overlook on Mount Cutler.

Black Canyon Quarry will be another 2024 focus for the parks department.

Also known as Snyder Quarry overlooking Manitou Springs near the Cedar Heights neighborhood, the city expects crews to reshape the hillside, improve drainage and revegetate the 163-acre scar in a reclamation project aimed at someday returning recreation to the Waldo Canyon area.

Task force to discuss future of e-bikes on Colorado Springs trails

This month’s parks board meeting also saw an update on the long-awaited Grey Hawk Park in the Flying Horse neighborhood on the city’s far north side.

The presentation showed a playground, sports courts and fields, a shaded plaza and a short trail to a scenic overlook. The master plan could soon be approved, ahead of hiring a contractor that would likely start next year, the city’s project leader said.