Blodgett Open Space – Master plan public process on now.

Public input session Sat June 3 from 9am to noon at Memorial Park 1605 E Pikes Peak Ave

View the MedWheel talking points we’re sharing with users as you consider your survey responses.

Take the city’s Blodgett survey and visual impacts survey.

Here is schedule for the master plan. This planning process will involved substantial coordination with the USFS, public input through surveys, onsite visits, and community meetings.

You can download the presentation from the April 5th TOPS working committee meeting:

History and Overview

Adapted from the city’s website: Blodgett Open Space is 388 acres of open space, trails, and wildlife habitat neighboring the Pikes National Forest. The original Blodgett Open Space land was purchased through the City of Colorado Springs Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) program and funding in March 2001. A second acquisition to the southeast, the Slatterly property, was incorporated in 2018, bringing in a second parking lot and trail access location. Most recently in 2021, additional land was acquired to extend the land further south, with boundaries along the Pikeview Quarry and Allegheny Road. Located in the foothills of the Front Range, the property has outstanding views of Colorado Springs to the east and Blodgett Peak to the northwest. The property is bordered on three sides by the Pike National Forest, which provides an excellent natural buffer and habitat continuity for wildlife.

The original master plan for Blodgett can be found here. In 2019 following the second acquisition, an interim use plan was created for the combined space. Here’s the city’s current trail map. Additional plans that are relevant for Blodgett include the 2003 Forest Health and Management Plan and the 2014 Parks System Master Plan.

Blodgett map courtesy of MedWheel volunteer and former board member Mike Rigney.

Unique considerations around Blodgett OS

A key characteristic of Blodgett is its elevation change due to its location at on the western edge of the city in the foothills abutting the Pike National Forest. The elevation on the property lends itself to long climbs and long descents. Additionally the open, east facing aspect lends itself to rapid drying after rain and year round trail access.

The planning area for this process includes the Pikeview quarry frontage property – shown in yellow and purchased with TOPS funds in 2020 and 2021 – as well as the area to the north with the existing trail network. The actual Pikeview quarry property will not be part of this process, but will have a planning process after reclamation is finished and the land is transferred to the city of Colorado Springs. Much of the land surrounding Blodgett is US Forest Service property and also won’t have trails planned part of this city process. At a future unspecified date the USFS will discuss trails in that space but for now we must consider what future connections on the National Forest look like.

Master plan pre-process community input

The Blodgett Open Space master plan will be developed through 2023 and 2024, and will include substantial public input opportunities, beginning with a community survey. MedWheel has been colleting user suggestions in preparation for the process and we will share everything we’ve heard in the stakeholder meeting.

So far the most common suggestion we hear is that we should advocate to keep the Fenceline trail as it is today, as much as possible. There is also a consistent request for better connections to and through the space. We will share more suggestions and talking points for the master plan process.

If you have suggestions or questions please email us info@medwheel.org. To learn about other MedWheel trail projects, check here.