The North Slope Recreation Area on Pikes Peak is a popular destination for hikers, anglers and visitors. Three city drinking water reservoirs and associated infrastructure are located there.
Access to the area is currently limited through 2025 while we complete rehabilitation work on the South Catamount Dam. This provides an opportunity to work with the public and key stakeholders to review existing recreational offerings and develop a detailed recreation plan that best serves the multiple uses within the area.
Overview of the study
The recreation study reviews and considers the following:
• Existing public access and recreation, infrastructure protections, security and public safety.
• Suitable alternatives and best management practices that reduce the impact of recreational activity and protect the community’s water supply and quality.
• Appropriate staff and resources to manage and monitor Colorado Springs Utilities’ watershed lands and reservoirs.
• Recommendations on public policy governing commercially guided activities[tooltip text="A smaller study in 2023 identified commercial guided recreation models and best practices for their management to protect resources. The final discussion for this topic will be reviewed with other resulting policy questions that will be brought to Colorado Springs Utilities Board/City Council for consideration."]and permitting.
• Costs associated with managing recreation in the area.
Colorado Springs Utilities leadership will review recommended changes following the planning and stakeholder engagement process. Utilities leadership will then present the plan to the Utilities Board and City Council for consideration and approval.
Timeline
• June 2025: Public stakeholder process begins.
• Q2-Q3 of 2025: Interagency stakeholder process and public surveys.
• Late 2025/early 2026: Conclusions and recommendations presented to the Utilities Board for consideration.
If you have questions about the review process, email engage@csu.org or call (719) 668-7765.
Public meetings
We held a series of public meetings in June 2025 and October 2025 designed to gather and review community feedback about recreation at the recreation area.
You can watch recordings of each meeting in the YouTube playlist below.
In the October 2025 meetings, we reviewed input gathered in a community survey and shared concept maps of new trail realignments.
• Executive Summary
• Visitor Survey Report
• View concept map 1
• View concept map 2
• View concept map 3
• View concept map 4
