In a quiet nook of Palmer Park, a sign recalls Edna Mae Bennett’s “inviting love for the out-of-doors.” Yes, just as she loved this park of colorful bluffs near the heart of Colorado Springs, she loved sharing it, inviting others to it. Hence the school program she hosted here, according to the sign posted by the trail that was built in her honor following her death in 1972.
The woman is no longer here, but Edna Mae Bennett Nature Trail continues to share her love.
Previously in this space we highlighted Templeton Trail, which we consider the ultimate showcase of Palmer Park. Edna Mae Bennett Nature Trail serves as a shorter, more beginner-friendly showcase, similarly touring the park’s signature geology.
We started from the North Cañon trailhead; Edna Mae Bennett Trail is marked beside the bathroom here at the park’s entrance along Paseo Road, by Mark Reyner Stables. The trail gently rises to a marked split, where we went left for the first of many Pikes Peak views to come…