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When you just want to get away from all the usual places, find a trail, and run your heart out...</h3>
About midway between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock lies a beautiful getaway for a long run. Photos by Alan Versaw.
As Colorado's Front Range becomes increasingly urbanized, getting away from the crowds becomes increasingly difficult. One place you can still do that is at Greenland Open Space next to the southern boundary of Douglas County.
Greenland Open Space can be accessed from two different points, at the Greenland Exit (167) off of I-25 and from the town of Palmer Lake at the extreme north end of El Paso County.
To access the trails from the Greenland exit off I-25, simply proceed one-quarter mile west and the one-half mile south from the exit ramp. The easiest access to the south end of the open space is to take the County Line Road Exit off of I-25 two miles west to a large gate marking the trail into Greenland Open Space. Parking is limited at this gate and, if closed, you can proceed another half-mile west to Palmer Lake Regional Park and follow the trail more or less northward to Greenland Open Space.
The north end of Greenland Open Space is about 500 feet of elevation lower than the south end. That means if you start at the north end and run either a loop or an out-and-back, you'll finish going mostly downhill. If you start at the south end and run eith a loop or an out-and-back, you'll finish mostly uphill.
There are two trails in Greenland Open Space. The main trail is the Greeland Trail, running mostly along an old railroad bed and more or less directly between the north and south trailheads. Since this route is mostly defined by an old railroad bed, the grades are mostly fairly even.
The other trail within the open space area is Kipp's Loop. Kipp's Loop connects the northern and southern ends of the open space via a wide sweep to the east, overlooking I-25 at a couple of points. Kipp's Loop features a lot more in the way of trees and rolling terrain. Generally speaking, Kipp's Loop is more fun to run than the Greenland Trail, but the fun comes at a price of greater energy expenditure.
If you lack time or energy for a full loop of the Greenland Open Space trails, opt for following Kipp's Loop rather than the Greenland Trail for the bulk of your out-and-back run unless you need the gentler grades of the Greenland Trail. This is especially true for running from the south trailhead, but substantially less so if your run begins at the north trailhead.
One full loop of the open space featuring the Greenland Trail one direction and Kipp's Loop the other direction comprises a run of just about spot-on ten miles. For those ten miles, you will stay almost entirely above 7000 feet elevation (the north trailhead sits at an elevation of 6905 feet). Along those ten miles, you are likely to meet a few people riding mountain bikes, a few hikers, and a few more on horseback. Mostly, however, you'll have the area to yourself except on weekend mornings. Mile markers along the trail give you a decent idea of how far you've gone if you didn't bring your GPS watch along with you.
Although mornings are busier in the open space than evenings, a case can be made that running the trails in the evening is decidedly more pleasant than running the trails in the morning. On summer evenings, the temperatures have often been moderated by afternoon rain showers. Whether or not the afternoon rain showers arrived, having temperatures declining as your energy level fades is distinctly preferable to dealing with increasing temperatures as your fatigue level grows.
During wetter summers, the grasslands explode with wildflowers. Drier conditions produce a more modest display of blooms. Common birds of the mostly grassland trails include mountain bluebirds, vesper sparrows, and red-tailed hawks. Theoretically, rattlesnakes are possible here, but I've run these trails extensively without encountering any site of the infamous reptiles. The trails pass by a couple of ponds and one historic gravesite. Take whatever water you need with you, however.
For those requiring an additional challenge, the Spruce Mountain Open Space is just west of the Greenland Open Space. Spruce Mountain Open Space features more trails (but with road crossings--which are absent in the Greenland Open Space) and more variety of terrain.
Both Greenland Open Space and Spruce Mountain Open Space can be considered year-round trails, though there will definitely be points of times during the winter where snow and ice conditions make it impractical to run there.
Heading north from just below the south trailhead of Greenland Open Space.
Douglas County Open Space web page featuring Greenland Open Space
Douglas County Open Space trail map for Greenland Open Space