𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 between Colorado Springs and Denver is a great well maintained place to ride for anyone looking for a few easy going hours with some nice views. It has a view of Pikes Peak, the Rampart Range, and the eastern plains. A free, generally easy going ride, easily accessible without needing to take I-25. 

The parking lot is great! Huge, flat, gravel and well maintained by Douglas County. It can easily accommodate many rigs of any size. We were there on a weekend in August and there was plenty of room. The trails are generally wide and also well maintained. Pit toilet is available but no water for horses or humans.

The Ride: It winds through open meadows at the bottom and up some gently rolling hills. It progresses up some rock slab ridges to get some really nice views of the surrounding area. It has some rocks there up at the top which are show in the pictures. Overall it's not too rocky though. Several readers of this article commented that they recommend shoes if your equine is tender footed as there are rocks. It goes around the top mesa area and then back into the valley for a nice finish. 

Obstacles/Hazards: Mountain bikes are allowed so be aware around corners and things. Hikers also present with hiking sticks and backpacks. We were there on a Sunday and didn't have much of an issue. Everyone was very polite and attentive. The trail has a few beginner technical areas which negotiate some rock slab with some tricky footing. Photos show those areas. Great if you are taking a newer horse to learn trail riding. The main loop trail took us a couple hours but there are several trails throughout for some more riding. Overall it still wouldn't take you make than 4-5 for all the trails probably. We really enjoyed this trail and hope you will too! The more we use the trails the more we can maintain a presence for equines and get bikers and hikers used to seeing us out there!