Colorado Springs continues to add singletrack year after year. In 2025, we caught up with David Deitemeyer, the city’s TOPS Senior Program Administrator — that’s Trails, Open Space, and Parks — to discuss the city’s trail expansion and goals to connect one trail system to another.
Of the many areas around Colorado Springs discussed, Deitemeyer mentioned plans for the Blodgett Open Space. Now, seven miles of trails have opened there, with almost half of the mileage “dedicated, bike-specific downhill trails,” a first for Blodgett.
And a lift-serviced bike park within the city is still on the table.
3 miles of DH trails at Blodgett Bike Hill
“What makes Blodgett special from a rider’s perspective is that it contained a trail that is widely considered a local favorite for its advanced features, super fast speeds, and sheer vertical drop and distance,” Keith Thompson, former Executive Director of Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association (COSMBA), told us. Thompson now serves on the board.
The issue with the trail — Fenceline — that Thompson was talking about is that it was unsanctioned.
“Knowing how important this trail was for the community, land managers invited local riders into an honest discussion around the realities and constraints of sanctioning such a trail,” Thompson continued.
City Park planners were able to save a portion of the beloved Fenceline trail, sanctioning it and rerouting it to the planned trailhead. Thompson told us that the change will create greater connectivity to the other planned trails in the system. COSMBA provided over 500 volunteer hours working on the newly-approved Fenceline reroute, adding a “slew of new advanced features to maintain the soul of this highly regarded trail.”
The new reroute on Fenceline is dubbed “Fang Drop” and leans toward flow with step-ups and step-downs. Fang Drop, well, drops in from Pike National Forest land onto the Blodgett Open Space land owned by Colorado Springs.
Due to the lack of rock at Blodgett, Thompson told us that most of the new trails lean toward flow rather than tech — and future trails will be similar. But in some instances, trail builders have brought in rock to create chunky sections, especially on the double-black trail, Coil Canyon.
At nearly one mile long, Neurotoxin is the new black flow trail, dropping nearly 400 feet. Thompson told us that Neurotoxin is “reminiscent of a bike park trail,” with larger berms, step-downs, doubles, a shark fin, a wooden feature, and optional drops.
Coil Canyon is the techy, double-black option off of Neurotoxin, featuring a steep, chunky descent and drops. As far as the new DH trails, these are the ones leaning toward the spicier side.
For a more beginner- to intermediate experience, Sinuosa is a flow trail that Thompson described as beginner, with intermediate features. The trail is unique, dipping into Blodgett’s reclaimed quarry area.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this build is the inclusion of grade-separated crossings,” Thompson said. “This means downhill riders won’t have to check their speed or worry about trail conflicts with climbing traffic or hikers. We’re also focusing on ‘uniquely Colorado Springs challenges’ with custom jumps and drops engineered directly into the topography.”
Culebras is a new climb trail running parallel to the northern edge of the Pike View Quarry. While this is a multi-use trail, it serves as an access to the bike-only descents. Thompson told us these are the current trails making up Blodgett Bike Hill, on the southern half of the 384-acre Open Space area.
Blodgett connectivity
“So you can literally do a loop around the city of Colorado Springs on 99% off-road trail,” Deitemeyer explained when we talked in 2005. “It creates this incredible system of connectivity.”
The idea for Colorado Springs, like many growing trail cities around the country, is increasing connectivity. Bike paths and singletrack connect one trail system to the next, allowing locals and visitors to ride right from their garage.
Blodgett shares a western border with Pike National Forest, but it also butts up to residential neighborhoods on its northern and eastern sides. Thompson emphasized community involvement in the planning of Blodgett, stretching back to Master Planning public meetings in 2022. Then and now, Colorado Springs residents have expressed a desire to find solutions for both mountain biking and hiking access, emphasizing the importance of separating users to reduce trail conflicts and creating quality trails.
“What made the creation of Blodgett Bike Hill so unique was its inclusion of actual mountain bikers in the planning stages,” Thompson shared. “Input from these riders provided actionable ideas that shaped these trails into experiences that maximize the thrill. The difference is obvious as there is nothing else in Colorado Springs quite like these new trails.”
SRAM also played a role in getting proposals pushed over the line, demonstrating that mountain biking is backed up by big industry. “Tremendous support for this effort came from the employees at the SRAM facility in Colorado Springs,” Thompson continued. “The SRAM army showed up at every single public engagement event, every city council meeting, and especially when it came time to construct these trails. COSMBA collaborated with SRAM on Dig Days and donated significantly to see this project come to life.”
And they aren’t done. Thompson shared that work on the northern portion of Blodgett is in the near future. While most of these trails will be exclusively for foot traffic, a few new offerings will allow mountain bikes.
There could also be a lift-access bike park within the city. Blodgett’s southern border shares a boundary with the newly acquired Pike View Bike Park, and the chair lift discussion isn’t off the table.
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