The 1,070-acre open space sits on the Palmer Divide in the Black Forest. A sprawling trail system that offers over 5 miles of scenic open space, meadows, and if you are lucky wildlife.

On July 4 at 9:40 p.m., two headlamps bobbed like fireflies in the darkness at the eastern edge of Chestnut Ridge in the Tiadaghton State Forest. A 600-foot descent concluded a massive 22-mile day … ...

Sure, it might be said the Black Forest trail is not as dramatic as the one better known in Colorado Springs’ mountains. Though, the pines here do occasionally clear for a regal view of Pikes Peak.