A new trail has opened around the Black Forest pines.

El Paso County land managers are calling it Farrar Loop, for the ranching family previously on the 1,000 acres that are now Pineries Open Space.

The open space debuted in 2020 with a 9-mile loop that has appealed to long-distance hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians. Combining with that trail, Farrar Loop totals about 3.75 miles.

“Which for a lot of folks is a much more doable hike than committing to a full 9-mile loop,” said Ross Williams with El Paso County’s parks department. “I think this is gonna be a really popular trail, particularly with folks just looking to get a quicker hike in and a length that’s very similar to the trail over at Black Forest Section 16.”

By the time the county was ready to open the yet-to-be-marked trail in mid-November, snow had blanketed Pineries Open Space.

“So trail wayfinding might be a little tough, plus trail conditions are not ideal right now due to muddy and icy conditions,” Williams cautioned.

From the open space’s trailhead off Vollmer Road, Farrar Loop runs south, opposite of the other loop called Grandview. That name is for the view of Pikes Peak that opens up through rolling meadows and burned areas from the 2013 Black Forest fire.

The experience on Farrar is similar to Grandview, Williams said, with some boardwalks and a bridge along the way built to protect wetlands. It’s a single-track trail, and the county hopes that doesn’t change.

On the other loop, “we’ve had a bit of braiding going on, where folks are hiking or riding side-by-side and creating some braiding trails,” Williams said. Braiding causes erosion and damage to vegetation “and perhaps even some critter’s home,” he said. “So we’re just really trying to encourage folks to keep the single-track trails as narrow as possible.”

The new loop progresses the master plan for Pineries Open Space. Williams said the next priority “in the next few years” will be expanded parking for horse trailers.