VFuel Colorado Trail of the Month: Intemann Trail, Manitou Springs

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Colorado Springs runners, and those in Manitou Springs specifically, insist that their trail system is second to none. For national-class trail runner Peter Maksimow, it’s the Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail that’s a particular favorite. Maksimow tells us how to take in the best of Colorado Springs trails in the November “VFuel Colorado Trail of the Month.”

“It’s right up the road from me in Manitou Springs and connects downtown Colorado Springs, via Bear Creek Park and Section 16, up to Jones Park and Mt. Rosa and Cameron Cone over to the new Iron Mountain route, Red Mountain, the base of the Barr Trail, Manitou Incline and Ute Pass Trail,” Maksimow says of the abundant opportunities that the Intemann Trail offers.

“It is part of the Ring the Peak Trail and recently was extended up to Iron Mountain to bypass a disputed private property area. The trail includes technical singletrack with steep climbs and descents, smooth mellow paths, and grand panoramic views of Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods, and Colorado Springs.”

Access of the point-to-point trail at one end is typically in Manitou Springs and off of Gold Camp Road at the other, but the collection of connections that the trail joins with makes for a series of maps and other potential access points.  Similarly, mileage can vary considerably depending on one’s route.

Maksimow, nicknamed “The Prez” for his role on Team Colorado, says this is the trail to find he and his friends.  “On the Intemann Trail you will find the Springs locals like Team Colorado’s Alex ‘Axel’ Nichols, Jared ‘The Youngster’ Hazen, Zach ‘Banana Boy’ Miller, Justin ‘Mad Moose’ Ricks, Brandon ‘The Stank’ Stapanowich running, and even Pikes Peak legend, Matt Carpenter, doing trail maintenance in his ‘backyard.'”

Thought to have been just a short-course trail runner, Maksimow himself raced his first true ultra this summer and finished 20th overall at the Les Templiers event in France. Needing a nutrition solution, he turned to VFuel’s Peach Cobbler gels and drink mix.

He says that pictures tell the Intemann Trail story the best.
Intemann Trail
View of Manitou Springs atop Iron Mountain, the new Intemann Trail Connector. Pikes Peak, Manitou Incline, Red Mountain to the left, Ute Pass Trail, Waldo Canyon, Rampart Range Road, Cave of the Winds and downtown Manitou in the center, Garden of the Gods to the right and Red Rock Open Space to the far right. Photo: The Prez
Sunset over Pikes Peak, atop Cameron Cone. Photo: @axelnichols
Sunset over Pikes Peak, atop Cameron Cone. Photo: @axelnichols
View of Penrose-Rosemont Reservoir and Cripple Creek via Mt Rosa, Pikes Peak National Forest. Photo: @axelnichols
View of Penrose-Rosemont Reservoir and Cripple Creek via Mt Rosa, Pikes Peak National Forest. Photo: @axelnichols
A view of Pikes Peak from Almagre Mountain aka Mt. Baldy, the second highest Peak on the Colorado Springs skyline next to Pikes Peak. Photo: @axelnichols
A view of Pikes Peak from Almagre Mountain aka Mt. Baldy, the second highest Peak on the Colorado Springs skyline next to Pikes Peak. Photo: @axelnichols
View of Iron Mtn from Red Mtn. Photo: The Prez
View of Iron Mtn from Red Mtn. Photo: The Prez
View of the Manitou Incline from the Intemann Trail Photo: The Prez
View of the Manitou Incline from the Intemann Trail Photo: The Prez
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