Pineries Open Space

The Black Forest Fire burned 14,280 acres in Black Forest, Colorado, in June 2013. Surpassing the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, the Black Forest Fire became the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history until the devastating fires of 2020. The fire was fully contained on June 20, 2013, resulting in the loss of over 500 homes and two lives. Though the majority of the land burned was private, approximately 1,200 acres of El Paso County Parks land were affected. Since 2013, RMFI has worked in partnership with El Paso County to rehabilitate burned landscapes within Black Forest Regional Park and the Pineries Open Space.

The Pineries Open Space is approximately 1,067 acres in size and is located northeast of the intersection of Vollmer Road and Shoup Road in El Paso County, Colorado. It is the largest open space property under County ownership; all but approximately 30 acres are under a conservation easement held by the Palmer Land Conservancy. The area contains populations of rare and unique plants, as well as a mature ponderosa pine forest classified as old growth.

RMFI collaborated with El Paso County, Mile High Youth Corps, and other partners to construct the original 8-mile loop of multi-use singletrack trail by hand, which opened in June 2020. In 2024, RMFI returned to the Pineries to build the Farrar Trail, adding 2 miles of singletrack in the southwest corner of the open space and creating a shorter 3.5-mile loop.