Recent improvements to Cottonwood Creek Trail, which runs parallel to Cottonwood Creek, have created a direct route stretching from the Wolf Ranch neighborhood, located east of Powers Boulevard, to downtown Colorado Springs via the Santa Fe Regional Trail and Pikes Peak Greenway.
Commuters face only two street crossings – one at Union Boulevard and the other at Polk Street – along this paved urban trail network that stretches approximately 13.5 miles from Powers Boulevard to Uintah Street. The Cottonwood Creek Trail goes under several multilane roads, including (from east to west) Powers Boulevard, Austin Bluffs Parkway, Woodmen Road and Academy Boulevard.
“We are so fortunate in Colorado Springs to have access to incredible outdoor amenities, and thanks to the leadership, vision and hard work of our parks department and the dedication of the individuals who serve on our parks advisory board, TOPS working committee and local advocacy groups, these amenities just keep getting better and better,” Mayor John Suthers said at a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the trail connection on Friday. “As our city continues to grow, connectivity is more important than ever, and that’s exactly what the Cottonwood Creek Trail provides – a connection for people to access their neighborhoods, local businesses and parks.”
The connection project added 1.23 miles of new trail from Austin Bluffs to the east side of Powers, including five neighborhood connections to the trail, a new trail section across Scarborough Pond and a bridge under Woodmen Road.
The improvements, totaling $2.2 million, were funded by the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) sales tax.