Work on the Devils Playground reroute for the 2026 season has come to a close, and the crews put in a lot of phenomenal work. They moved over 163,000 pounds of rock and timber material this season. As a crew of 9, they spent 48 days this summer working on the Devils Playground reroute! Thank you to the 50 volunteers who joined RMFI this season to help make this project possible!

2026 Project Notes from the Devils Playground Trails Projects Manager, Paul Timm:

1,200 feet, or ¼ mile, of tread work was completed, and we have finally broken ground in the talus field. Thanks to the many volunteers who cut tread, hauled tools, and quarried rock with us.

This season was a Quad-Shredder!

Due to the low snowpack, the small stream that supplies our backcountry campsite was dry this year. Therefore, the crew had to camp at the very bottom of the trail and get water from the Crags Campground.

The crew's morning commute was 2 miles and 1,500 vertical feet every morning.

The upside to camping by the trucks was a semi-luxurious base camp with coolers, camp chairs, cots, and extra pillows.

Overall, the crew completed 40 individual technical projects at 11,500 feet, from a 10-step rock staircase to a 17-foot-long timber wall. The crew pushed themselves to the limit, physically and mentally, with these technical, long-lasting projects. These structures are designed to last for 50+ years and will be enjoyed by future generations.

Some thoughts from the Devils Playground Crew:

Lydia

"My favorite Devils memories were the resident marmot, Chonk, who hung around our worksite and would try to get into people's bags, and the father-son moose that would come through our campsite! Also, making it to the Talus Field at the end of our last hitch."

Joe

"My favorite memory from Devils was the quiet morning hikes up to the worksite and moose sightings. We had 2 moose come through our campsite one evening after dinner; they looked up and just kept eating and moving through the area. Super cool."

Max

"My favorite memory of the season was using naturally harvested timber to build a double-tier retaining wall. I had never done trail work like that before, so it was great to learn a lot of new skills working with Joe. The whole process was an amazing time, and working next to one of the best views on the trail was epic."

Clay

"My favorite moments on Devils would be the cool morning hikes, all the wildlife we saw, and the chance to forage at the end of the season. It was nice to get the chance to get closer to another crew other than my own this season, especially after losing a few people this season. We got good weather for most of our season until the very end, when I went through 3 tents in 1 hitch because of hail. Overall, it was a good experience."

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If you're new to the work on Devils Playground, Devils Playground is one of two primary hiking trails to the summit of Pikes Peak. The Devils Playground Trail offers a shorter and less crowded route compared to Barr Trail, providing hikers with stunning views of the mountain ranges to the west. The original alignment of this summit route was deteriorating rapidly. In late 2018, the Pikes Peak Ranger District completed an environmental analysis of the area. Botanical and archaeological surveys confirmed that the new trail would not have deleterious impacts on the area's ecology, paving the way for construction of a reroute of the Devils Playground Trail.

In 2019, RMFI broke ground on the new Devils Playground Trail, which spans approximately 7 miles and gains 4,300 feet in elevation through Pike National Forest. The trail begins at the Crags Trailhead near Divide, CO, and terminates at the summit of Pikes Peak at an elevation of 14,115 feet. RMFI is a little over halfway through the project and is now entering the alpine section of the new trail, with several seasons of work still ahead. The focus of this new trail is long-term sustainability, using trail-building methods designed to provide a high-quality user experience. The trail is being constructed to resist erosion through thoughtful and intentional design that effectively sheds water.

All of RMFI's work on Devils Playground is done by hand. No machinery has been used. All rock, timber, and soil have been moved by RMFI crew members, youth corps members, and volunteers.

So far, we have hosted over 85 volunteer days, engaged more than 430 community volunteers, and welcomed 235 youth corps members to help build the new Devils Playground Trail. Most notably, over 25,000 hours of RMFI boots-on-the-ground staff time have been dedicated to this project!

Significant data from 2023 shows that Colorado's 14ers have a major economic impact on the state, with over $70.5 million directly attributable to hiking these iconic peaks. Pikes Peak, one of the most visited mountains in the world, welcomes over 1 million visitors annually. RMFI is honored to create and maintain sustainable recreation opportunities on the Pikes Peak massif for all users.