![]() Remember to pack out all your trash so that it’s just as lovely for the next hikers. There’s a good place along the stream to sit, have a snack and enjoy the view including (in May) hundreds of wild flowers and wood iris. Tip: Take a little lunch or snack with you on the trail. Geological features hosted here include Manitou Limestone, Fountain Formation and Pierre Shale with the Rampart Range fault separating the sedimentary bedrock. It’s a nice, gentle slope DOWN along the stream to the reservoir which means it’s an equally nice, gentle, walk back UP to the parking area. It leads down along a lovely little babbling stream all the way to the reservoir. Gold camp to Old Stage is also ice free and that doesn't require a license plate. I was on Old Stage Rd (bit south) the other day and there were plenty of OHV trails open up there. It climbs through the forest amid enormous boulders and precipitous hillsides. I'm not familiar with the trails up off the road though. Mount Herman Road provides direct access to Rampart Range Road from the I-25 corridor. Make sure you stop off at the little trail located prior to the pay station. The gate at Balanced Rock is closed during winter time. The whole location, even if you’re not a fisherman, is well worth a visit. I don’t know how they do it (when most pit-toilets are a horror) but the facilities at this rather random reservoir are some of the most clean and well-maintained I’ve ever seen. If you’re a woman you know the words, “cleanest pit-toilets I’ve ever seen,” mean a lot. One can spend a wonderful time in the great Rocky Mountains "getting away from it all" just outside the city of Colorado Springs for 6 bucks. We caught 2 trout in 2 hours and boy were they tasty! There are lots of things to do here: hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, canoeing, kayaking to name a few. They are strategically placed so one does not feel packed in with other groups of people using the grounds. These come with picnic tables and grills. There are also picnic areas around the reservoir. If you wish to camp, it is a good idea to make reservations. ![]() The area is spotted with little camp sites complete with restrooms, cement parking pads, and BBQ grills. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to get where you are going. The road to the area is part paved and part dirt which can get a bit bumpy. The reservoir provides drinking water to the city so there is no swimming nor motor-boating in the water but canoeing/kayaking are allowed. However, there is a lot of the forest that was left unscarred or just lightly singed and it is green and thriving. Part of the forest took a big hit from the forest fire that hit the area 2 years ago. What a beautiful area! The reservoir is surround by Pike National Forest. I have lived in Colorado Springs for 17 years and have never been to the Rampart Range Reservoir until this weekend.
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