Woodland Park Morphs Into Open Space Mecca
Palmer Land Deal Becomes Latest Land Pursuit for City Above the Clouds
Trevor Phipps
Most people move to Colorado to experience the Rocky Mountain West with its breath-taking views and an adventure waiting around every corner.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that most people in Colorado take their outdoor recreation very seriously.
Woodland Park has always been known as a place where a variety of outdoor experiences are awaiting nearby. After growing up in the area I moved away, but I always found my way back. One of Woodland Park’s biggest draws for me personally was the fact that the city and county are surrounded by National Forest lands.
For the past several years, it used to be that fishing, hiking and boundless other adventures were only a mere five or ten minutes away. But over the past couple of years, the city and other non-profit organizations have made moves to create outdoor recreation opportunities even closer to the city.
Now that the Palmer Land Conservancy has purchased the 674-acre Pinestone Ranch, located on the southeast side of the city, Woodland Park has now played a big role in purchasing three large land plots in the city and directly adjacent to Woodland Park, which will be reserved as publicly owned open space.
Here is a summary of the city’s main open land pursuits over the last year and a half, efforts that have far exceeded what the city did in the past regarding efforts to expand its recreational-based property holdings.
Avenger Open Space
For years, many (including myself) have enjoyed hiking the non-sanctioned social trails that ran across the east side of the city along Rampart Range for years. But after years of use, local hiking enthusiasts realized that many of the trails ran through private property.
As soon as the property went up for sale, local leaders scrambled to find a way to keep the popular trails open to the public. Then after receiving grants and raising money the city officially purchased the 120-acre property for a total of $650,000 on April 15, 2024.
After some work was completed to revamp the trails, the Avenger Open Space is now open to the public. Hikers can now enjoy the beautiful aerial views of the City Above the Clouds and unique angles of America’s Mountain. The city even recently purchased an off-highway vehicle so it could conduct patrols in the area.
Shining Mountain Golf Course
Then in December 2025, the city made another shocking purchase when they decided to dish out just over $3 million to purchase the formerly privately-owned Shining Mountain Golf Course. The 355-acre parcel includes a 6,623-yard (from the championship tees), par-71, 18-hole golf course, a 10,600-square-foot clubhouse and event center, three-disc golf courses, and 135 undeveloped acres.
At first, some residents spoke out against the idea of the city owning and operating a golf course. But then when they realized the purchase also came with 135 undeveloped acres that could be used for public recreation, many changed their tune.
The golf course was up and running for the 2026 summer season, but plans for the undeveloped acres have not yet come to fruition. One city employee commented that he wanted to use the land to paraglide through the mountains.
Pinestone Ranch
Now this brings me to the area’s latest open space acquisition. Earlier this year, the Palmer Land Conservancy announced that they purchased the 674-acre Pinestone Ranch.
During presentations at Woodland Park City Council meetings, Palmer Land Conservancy’s Conservation Director Jeff Jackson told the city council that the organization received a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for around $3 million to purchase the property. But to pay off the GOCO loans and to make it a place where people can enjoy, the organization needs to raise another $3.5 million to make the ultimate dream of public trails become a reality.
“We are extremely, extremely grateful to have been able to acquire such a stunningly beautiful property,” Jackson told the city council on Sept. 3. “It has incredibly valuable natural habitat including a portion of Crystola Creek that runs right through the center of it. And its conservation provides connectivity to thousands of acres of public lands, as well as the potential for trail connectivity and trail expansion within the region.”
However, the bad news is it will take a few years until the property is open to the public for recreation. For now, the Palmer Land Conservancy is looking at the property’s natural habitat before they can make trails through the property that don’t disturb nature.
Jackson told the council that the organization’s ultimate goal is to find an entity (possibly the city of Woodland Park) that will take charge of the upkeep of the property. The organization wishes to devise a plan that would keep the property open to the public forever.
But City Councilmember Steven Leigh was concerned that it would be hard for residents to stay off the property and not create social trails over the next few years until it gets opened to the public. Jackson responded by saying that residents need to respect private property rights.
“Creating social trails would be detrimental to the overall plan,” Jackson said. “We want the opportunity to assess all of the natural habitat and design trail systems that best protect the natural habitat and the wildlife. And so, the more we can preserve it intact and go through a thoughtful planning process and work together to develop a well-thought-out plan, the better we protect the property and the better the asset remains for everyone to enjoy once we’re ready to move forward and open up.”
So, soon, none of us will have to even travel five or ten minutes away to enjoy outdoor recreation. In the future, there will be at least three large portions of land right in town where people can enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing ,and perhaps even more unique activities like paragliding.
