View source for Barr Trail

{{Short description|Hiking route in Colorado}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}{{Infobox hiking trail
 | name = Barr Trail
 | embed = 
 | cellstyle = 
 | title =  
 | photo = Barr Trail downward 2007.jpg
 | photo_size = 250
 | caption = Barr Trail, a couple miles below Barr Camp, downward view, July 2007
 | location = [[Colorado]], United States
 | designation = 
 | established = 1918
 | length = {{convert|13|mi|km}}{{r|USFS}}
 | trailheads = [[Manitou Springs, Colorado]]<br>{{coord|38.8557|-104.9339|type:landmark_region:US-CO|display=inline|name=Manitou Springs trailhead}}<br>[[Pikes Peak]] summit<br>{{coord|38.8400|-105.0432|type:landmark_region:US-CO|display=inline,title|name=Pikes Peak trailhead}}
 | use = Hiking
 | elev_gain_and_loss = {{convert|7390|ft|m|-1}} gain
 | highest = {{convert|14115|ft|m}}
 | lowest = 
 | grade = 
 | difficulty = 
 | season = 
 | months = 
 | sights = 
 | hazards = 
 | surface = 
 | ROW = 
 | website = [http://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation U.S. Forest Service: Barr Trail]
}}

'''Barr Trail''' is a {{convert|13|mi|km|adj=on}} [[trail]] in the [[Pike National Forest]] that begins in [[Manitou Springs, Colorado]], and ends at the [[Pikes Peak]] summit.{{r|USFS}} The high elevation trail with a long sustained grade is rated more difficult by the [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]].<ref name=USFS>{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation |title=Barr Trail (#620) | publisher=U.S. Forest Service |access-date=January 16, 2015 }}</ref> With a {{convert|7,800|ft|m}} elevation gain to reach the summit, the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau states that it is an advanced trail and is the most difficult trail in the Pikes Peak region.<ref name=COS>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitcos.com/venue/parks/Barr-Trail-Pikes-Peak- |title=Barr Trail (Pikes Peak) |publisher=Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau |accessdate=January 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126091610/http://www.visitcos.com/venue/parks/barr-trail-pikes-peak- |archive-date=January 26, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Barr Trail is used for the Pikes Peak Ascent, [[Pikes Peak Marathon]], and the Barr Trail Mountain Race. The Ascent and Marathon start in Manitou Springs in front of City Hall and connect with the Barr Trail from upper Ruxton Ave. Both races ascend to the Pikes Peak summit at 14,115'. The Marathon is an out-and-back race that finishes at Ruxton and Manitou Avenues in Manitou Springs. The 12.6-mile course for the Barr Trail Mountain Race starts at the Cog Railway Depot and ascends to Barr Camp at 10,200', then reverses back down to the trailhead via Hydro Street.<ref name=BTMR>{{cite web | url=http://barrtrailmountainrace.com/ |title=Home | publisher=Barr Trail Mountain Race |accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref>

==History==
A trail was first created by a prospector in the mid-1800s, but the trail did not allow for travel by burro from Mount Manitou to the summit of Pikes Peak. Beginning in 1914, [[Fred Barr]] built the burro trail, with a maximum 12% grade to the top of the peak for his burro train business.{{r|USFS}}{{r|Trail and Timber #50}} Aside from his work on the major portion of the trail, he supervised a crew of ten men for the U.S. Forest Service in 1917 who built the portion of the trail from the top of the [[Manitou Incline]] down to Manitou Springs.{{efn|The History for Barr Camp states that [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) workers completed the lower three miles from the trailhead to the top of [[Mount Manitou]] in the 1920s for the Forest Service.{{r|BarrCampHistory}}}} He hiked the entire trail and made it to the top of Pikes Peak on Christmas Eve, 1918.<ref name=Trailblazer>{{cite news | url=http://gazette.com/fred-barr-the-life-of-the-trailmaster-of-the-rockies/article/1506886 | title=Fred Barr: The Life of the 'Trailmaster of the Rockies' | newspaper=The Gazette | date=October 6, 1913 | accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref>

Barr Camp was built by Barr between 1922 and 1924.<ref name=BarrCampHistory>{{cite web | url=http://barrcamp.com/history.php|title=History | publisher=Barr Camp | accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref>{{r|Trailblazer}} It was used by Barr and his burro train customers for an overnight stay between Manitou Incline and the summit. Staffed by year-round caretakers, the camp continued to provide overnight accommodations for Barr Trail hikers.{{r|Trailblazer}}

In 1948, the U.S. Forest Service rebuilt the trail, following the original route.{{r|Trailblazer}} Burro trains were used to transport people along the trail until the 1960s.{{r|Trailblazer}}

The 13-mile trail was designated a [[National Recreation Trail]] in 1979.<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.americantrails.org/NRTDatabase/trailDetail.php?recordID=2160 |title=Barr Trail |publisher=American Trails | accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref> It is one of the most frequently used trails in Colorado.{{r|Trailblazer}}

==Trail==
Points along the trail include:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Trail
! Mile !! Description !! Elevation
|-
| 0 || Trailhead on Ruxton Avenue near the [[Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway]] depot, Manitou Springs{{r|USFS}} || {{convert|6,707|ft|m}}
|-
|6.3{{efn|The Barr Camp site says that the camp is about 6.5 miles from the trailhead.<ref name=BarrCamp>{{cite web | url=http://barrcamp.com/|title=Home | publisher=Barr Camp | accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref>}} || Barr Camp,{{r|BTMR}} {{convert|2|acre|m2}} with picnic tables, restrooms<ref>{{cite web | url=http://barrcamp.com/dayuse.php |title=Day Use | publisher=Barr Camp | accessdate=January 16, 2015}}</ref> cabin, bunkhouse, camping, and meals<ref>{{cite web | url=http://barrcamp.com/overnight.php |title=Overnight | publisher=Barr Camp | accessdate=January 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://barrcamp.com/accommodations.php |title=Accommodations | publisher=Barr Camp | accessdate=January 16, 2015}}</ref> ||  {{convert|10,186|ft|m}}{{r|BarrCamp}}
|-
| 9 || Timberline A-frame shelter{{r|USFS}} ||  {{convert|12,098|ft|m}}
|-
| 13 || Pikes Peak Summit || {{convert|14,115|ft|m}}
|-
|}

On average, it can take six to ten hours to reach the summit from the trailhead. Many people schedule their hikes or overnight stays so that they are on the summit by noon in the summer, with the return trip down the mountain shortly after to avoid the threat of lightning.{{r|COS}}{{efn|In 2008, ''Backpacker'' magazine said that Barr Trail is one of the countries top 10 most dangerous hikes because of the danger of lightning strikes. They advise that hikers begin to descend from the summit by noon to get below the timberline before there is a threat of a lightning strike.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.backpacker.com/survival/natural-hazards/weather/america-s-10-most-dangerous-hikes-barr-trail-pikes-peak-co/ |title=America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes: Barr Trail, Pikes Peak, CO |author=Kelly Bastone | publisher=Backpacker | date=October 2008 |accessdate=January 16, 2015 }}</ref>}} Other considerations are managing altitude, temperature, and weather changes. For instance, regardless of the season it may be 40 degrees colder on the summit than at the trail head.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="Trail and Timber #50">{{Cite journal |title=The Barr Trail |issue=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vMyAQAAIAAJ&q=Barr+Trail&pg=PR17 |author=Dr. F.E. Johnson |page=7|format=Google books |journal=Trail and Timberline |date=November 1922|accessdate= January 16, 2015}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://barrcamp.com/getting-here/the-hike/ The Hike], Barr Camp
* [http://www.barrtrail.net/ The Barr Trail]

{{GeoGroup}}{{Protected areas of Colorado}}

[[Category:Protected areas of El Paso County, Colorado]]
[[Category:National Recreation Trails in Colorado]]
[[Category:Pikes Peak]]
[[Category:Manitou Springs, Colorado]]