Kinnikinnick Loop

Near the center of Colorado Springs, between some of the city’s busiest corridors, a road escapes into a rugged and colorful mosaic of rock and forest. This is Palmer Park, perhaps the best showcase of how the urban and wild surprisingly blend in this city. And along that road, any number of surprises await. 

Take, for example, the trail we recently discovered by pulling off for the small, dirt parking lot numbered 14. This is an entry for Kinnikinnick Trail, which explores much more than the namesake vegetation along a fairly short but varied, scenic loop. 

We started the loop by taking North Kinnikinnick, which is marked just up the short road into the parking lot. We stayed straight along the rock colored like a toasted marshmallow and continued on the thin trail between two tall timbers. 

The route remains marked throughout, including the next sign pointing straight for Sentinel Point and Kinnikinnick Loop. The trail tours greenery and big sky views before descending into tall woods. 

Kinnikinnick continues in and out of shade, offering more views of bluffs and the city’s east side. The path then bends south to see Cheyenne Mountain and then west to Pikes Peak seen poking over the forest. 

Along the trail between hulking outcrops and towering hoodooos, note the stone steps dropping to another sign. Kinnikinnick Loop is marked to the left, swooping down to an idyllic, grassy patch that clears for a picnic pavilion. 

The path continues to the left of the shelter and then beside an old bathroom building, following the road we took into the park. The thicket separates the trail from traffic before veering away to visit more impressive outcrops on the gentle ascent back to the parking lot.  

Trip log: 1 ½ miles round trip (loop), 144 feet elevation gain 

Getting there: From the entrance at 3650 Maizeland Road, follow Paseo Road up into the park for less than a mile. The parking lot numbered 14 is on the left near a bend of the road, before the turn for Grandview. 

FYI: Park open 5 a.m.-9 p.m. Non-motorized, multi-use trail. Dogs on leash.

SETH BOSTER, THE GAZETTE