New Santa Fe Trail

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May 10, 2000

Introduction

The New Santa Fe trail is sometimes called Monument trail. It runs north-south along the creek and the railroad and it is heavily populated. Largely flat, it is a mere one-boot trail. Many people hike, run, and bike this trail all year long. I ride the trail from my home - it has side trails that split off in various places and head east and west - all the way in to work on many warm days.

Trail Rating

Boots: One boot, not a difficult trail. It's a saunter.
Kids: Absolutely! There are playgrounds all along the way.
Dogs: Definitely! Only on a leash - this is a heavily traveled trail.
Facilities: A few near down town and in the playgrounds.

What to Bring

This is still Colorado, so plan for the weather changes. Even in the dead of summer, a thunder storm can surprise you and leave you cold, hailed on, and wet. Don't play around - bring a light jacket and water.

How to Get There

From Colorado Springs, you can access the trail from anywhere along the creek or the railroad that run north and south on the east side of the highway. If you are coming from the north, take the Garden of the Gods exit and turn left under the highway. Turn left or right onto Mark Dabling. Locate one of the parking lots along this street and park your vehicle. The trail is paved in some places, gravel in others, but it is always wide and easy to find.

Trail Specifics

I honestly don't know how long this trail is because I have never reached the end of it. We joined 500 or so volunteers last weekend in a post-Arbor day celebration as we planted hundreds of trees, bushes, and seedlings. It was an extremely dirty and satisfying job.

In many places, the holes were started for us, but in some places we only had a map of where to plant and a shovel. Our determination got us through - that and the encouragement of many passers-by who had to stop and congratulate us.

My family travels this trail both to and from work much of the year. We also ride this trail in the summer months to our favorite downtown bookstore and to lunch, so we felt it was important to volunteer on this trail particularly for Arbor Day.

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