Gray Back Peak

Gray Back Peak (9,328') is located just south of downtown Colorado Springs, tucked between Cheyenne Mountain and McKinley Peak. Accessible via Gold Camp Road, the trail offers an off-the-beaten-path experience just outside of city limits. The 3.3-mile trail gains just over 1,000 feet of elevation to access the summit of Gray Back Peak. The trail is open to hikers, runners, dog walkers, and is most popular with equestrians.

The Gray Back Peak Trail is suffering from extensive erosion, which was exacerbated by a record storm event in 2013. The trail follows the fall-line for long stretches, thereby exceeding standard trail gradients and making the trail nearly impassable and dangerous in some sections. The trail is difficult to follow in some areas due to a lack of routine maintenance over the years. To address the erosion on the trail, RMFI plans to construct a 6,500-foot reroute. The reroute will utilize sustainable gradients to keep the trail on a steady incline, which will provide a marked improvement of the user experience as well as protecting the surrounding landscape. Once the reroute is finished, RMFI will actively restore approximately 5,500-feet of the closed section of trail.