Cog Railway offers free shuttle to base of Incline

[Tim Bergsten]

From the City of Manitou Springs

The City of Manitou Springs has leased a parking lot and is making it available for FREE during the summer season.

The lot, which holds approximately 100 vehicles and can accommodate buses and RVs, is located at BEHIND (east of) the Tajine Alami Restaurant at 10 Old Man’s Trail (east of Memorial Park). Parking in front of property is for restaurant customers only. Others may be towed if they park there.

The City has leased the lot from May 24 to October 1, 2012, in an effort to provide more parking capacity and to determine if parkers will utilize the lot, which is only about 1-1½ blocks from the Historic Downtown. The City’s lease does not include September 1, 2, and 3 during the Commonwheel Labor Day Arts and Crafts Festival. There will be paid parking by the property owner in the lot during those events.

In addition to the free parking near the downtown, the Cog Railway will be operating a free, 14 passenger shuttle van from June 16th through August 12th, from 6:20 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. that will be available on a first come/first served basis. The shuttle will run approximately every 30 minutes from the free parking lot, through the downtown and up Ruxton to the Cog Railway making it very convenient for downtown workers and Incline hikers in particular.

“In addition to visitors, we hope Downtown employees and hikers enjoying Manitou’s scenic beauty will utilize the lot and reduce the instances of parking in neighborhoods or the effect on the environment of circling for parking spaces” stated City Administrator Jack Benson, who was responsible for securing the lease on the parking lot. “We appreciate the property owner, Mr. Alami, working with the City to make the lot available for the summer.”

Parking in this lot is available from 6:00 am to 3:00 am, seven days a week. Overnight parking or camping, or long-term parking is not allowed.

[Bill Beagle]

So I utilized the parking lot today. Got there about 8:15 a.m. and was the only car in the lot. So much room here, this will be a great alternative to poling around Ruxton Avenue and wasting valuable hiking time. I knew the shuttle was not operating yet but wanted to time and measure it for those who might be curious just how much extra this would contribute to your workout for the day. At a very slow jog it took me 17:26 to reach the Incline Trailhead, a distance of 1.2 miles. On the way down it measure 1.4 miles because I measured it from the Barr Parking lot. So try it out, it is very convenient, provides easy access out of Manitou as you can just scoot down El Paso Boulevard, make a right and head right onto Highway 24. Let us know what you think by leaving comments here. Thanks and Big Thanks to the City of Manitou Springs, the Tajine Alami restaurant and the Cog Railway.