Cheyenne Mountain State Park is about to get a lot bigger, with roughly 483 acres of new land set to be folded into its borders after coordinated state and city purchases. The deal links a 357-acre state acquisition with a roughly 126-acre city buy, bumping the park to about 3,184 acres and setting the stage for new trail planning and clearer, more visible access along Highway 115.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the General Assembly Capital Development Committee signed off on fee-title acquisition of the 357.2-acre Denman property for $8.93 million. The Trust for Public Land is under contract with the current owner and will transfer the land to the state. Combined with the city parcel, the move pushes the park to approximately 3,184 acres and hands managers greater control over both habitat and public access. “This project has been more than two decades in the making,” Southeast region manager Frank McGee said in the agency announcement.
The City of Colorado Springs, in a separate action, agreed to buy about 125.8 acres that will be managed as part of the state park under an updated memorandum of understanding, using the city’s TOPS open-space funding, as reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette. City documents and presentations show the land had been targeted for residential construction under the JL Ranch plan, and officials said moving fast on the purchase blocked that buildout. City leaders also noted that the buy helps maintain a buffer between potential future homes and nearby military installations.
A step toward the Chamberlain Trail
The new acreage also helps plug key gaps that planners hope will eventually allow the 26-mile Chamberlain Trail to run continuously from Blodgett Peak to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, although officials caution that additional planning work and road crossings will be needed before any new segments open. Conservation advocates say bringing this land into public ownership is a necessary step to connect the corridor without private-development hurdles, as Colorado Public Radio reports.
Protecting the park’s “front door”
For park managers, there is also an immediate, nuts-and-bolts benefit. The expansion gives Colorado Parks and Wildlife the room it needs to install permanent signage and a primary entrance along Colorado Highway 115, which they say should make the park significantly easier to find. Frank McGee told The Colorado Sun that “many people drive down Highway 115 and do not know the park is there,” a problem officials expect this work to solve.
Why local leaders backed the buy
Commanders at Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station and Fort Carson sent letters endorsing the acquisitions, arguing that the land would function as an important buffer and help avoid development that could complicate military operations, the Colorado Springs Gazette documented. Local open-space advocates have pointed to earlier city purchases, along with years of planning, as part of a broader push to keep the southern Front Range from being heavily carved up for housing. The city has tapped TOPS funding before to protect land around the park, and officials describe this latest move as another targeted use of that money.
Next steps and stewardship
The Trust for Public Land will finalize its contract with the private owner and close on the Denman parcel before transferring it to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the agency says the acquisition will be paid for with state lottery dollars that are dedicated to parks. With the Capital Development Committee’s approval in hand, final transaction steps are expected to move ahead, and CPW says volunteers will be involved in trail work, fire mitigation, and long-term stewardship as managers shape future recreation and access plans, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife…