Shuttles are running again to a scenic waterfall west of Colorado Springs while officials continue to mull the future of access.

Site-managing El Paso County recently announced the seasonal opening of Rainbow Falls. It’s an officially designated historic site with a recent history of various concerns, notably graffiti across the waterfall’s enveloping rock walls at the edge of Manitou Springs. 

More recently, in 2021, Rainbow Falls was closed for reported rockfall around its small parking lot. An arrangement was announced last summer: Visitors would park above the site, at the lot known as Higginbotham Flats along U.S. 24, paying $20 for Adventures Out West shuttles running down Serpentine Drive. For a second summer, the shuttles will run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Rainbow Falls’ entrance has been blocked during the week.

“The closure was prompted by the dislodgment of sizable rocks from the cliff, posing a hazard to parked cars,” reads a county webpage.

Also around that time, in 2022, the city of Manitou Springs acquired property along Serpentine Drive — “opening the possibility of expanding Creek Walk trail to Rainbow Falls,” a city spokesperson said then.

That’s the trail following Fountain Creek through town, ending well before the western edge home to Rainbow Falls. Manitou officials have expressed interest in the Creek Walk expanding to the waterfall as a way to cut back vehicle traffic through town and keep people on a safe path — off the narrow, curving Serpentine Drive.

The city spokesperson previously cited 500-plus drivers seeking the small parking lot on weekend days, adding: “We are thoroughly interested in finding a solution towards congestion.”

The county’s Parks and Community Services Director Todd Marts has called the shuttles “a short-term solution.” Asked about a long-term solution, Marts in an email pointed to Creek Walk extending to Rainbow Falls — what Manitou officials have outlined as the final, sixth phase of multi-year construction. Phase four is anticipated in the months ahead, thanks to a Colorado Department of Transportation grant recently announced.

Manitou officials did not return a request for comment.

Timing for the trail expansion to Rainbow Falls seemed uncertain to Glenn Carlson, executive director of Trails and Open Space Coalition. He compared the situation with the Manitou Incline; tensions have flared over the years between the land-managing city of Colorado Springs and traffic-managing city of Manitou.

“Just like the Incline a really popular, awesome spot becomes challenging logistically,” Carlson said.

For now, he said the off-site parking and shuttle “makes a ton of sense.”

But the $20 charge was not ideal, said Luke Harper Prince, a lifelong Manitou resident and fan of Rainbow Falls.

“I really do believe in safe transportation, but also and just as important, I believe in it being free and open to the general public,” Prince said.

Access via the Creek Walk would be “a big win for making it more accessible for all modes of travel,” he said.

In the meantime, he said he hoped for more collaboration aimed at opening up Rainbow Falls and improving the experience. He mentioned two “smiling” and “knowledgeable” attendants greeting visitors one recent weekend.

“I’m glad to see resources dedicated to it, and I hope that continues,” Prince said.

One of the Pikes Peak region’s most curious parks deserves an educational tour.

That’s the thinking of El Paso County, which recently launched guided hikes at Paint Mines Interpretive Park on select Saturdays this summer.

A county webpage describes hikes roaming about two miles around the colorful spires and hoodoos on the plains near Calhan. It’s been billed as “a hike through time,” during which guides speak on the ancient geology that has attracted people for millennia. Artifacts trace human history here back nearly 9,000 years — projectile points and more that interpreters bring along for the hikes.

Shuttles return to Rainbow Falls this summer as officials consider expanding Creek Walk for access

The next tour is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. June 21. A $5 registration is required on the county webpage (tinyurl.com/4u4p9bys), where more information is posted.

Later Saturday hikes are scheduled for July 5 and 26, followed by Aug. 9 and 23. The county has also lined up fall tours: Sept. 13 and 27 and Oct. 11 and 18.

The guided trips aim to increase education and promote stewardship — one aim of a long-awaited master plan for the Paint Mines that was approved late last year.

The stage is set for the next life of a southern Colorado ski area

The plan came after years of record visitation and concerning sights amid the COVID-19 pandemic. People were found to be blazing trails and “quickly degrading the formations,” the plan states, “often leading to the collapse of geologic features that have been standing as a part of the landscape for thousands of years.”

The 108-page plan calls for boardwalks and low-barrier fencing to keep people on intended paths. Also envisioned is a new primary parking lot, complete with educational signage and possibly a visitor center, pending funds.