The Blodgett Open Space rebuild is half done, and the finished half is the half farthest from Peregrine. On July 17, 2026, the City of Colorado Springs opened about seven miles of new trail in the southern section, starting from a new parking lot by the old Pikeview Quarry. About seven more miles are planned for the central and northern sections. That's the part of the open space that runs up toward West Woodmen Road and the Peregrine HOA's common area along Angelstone Street.
So the open space you already know is in between versions. One end has new bridges, signs and a downhill bike park. The other end is waiting for a construction date. The rules for the new trails already apply to all of it.
The Front Door Moved to the Quarry
The new lot is the Quarry Trailhead. It has 50 parking spaces, and the City's Bike Hill map lists its address as 7250 Allegheny Drive. The Gazette reported that the lot is named for the Pikeview Quarry, which is "turning green from reclamation in clear, full view" across from it. The quarry property itself isn't part of this trail project. The City says a separate public planning process will decide its long-term future.
The southern opening included 2.5 miles of downhill, bike-only trail, four miles of multi-use trail, half a mile of regional trail, four bridges, new signs, and the closing and restoration of many unofficial social trails. It's the first big piece of the Blodgett Open Space Master and Management Plan, which was finished in summer 2024. It was paid for with the City's TOPS sales tax and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Non-Motorized Trail Grant.
The new trails, sorted by who can use them:
- Bike-only, downhill: the Blodgett Bike Hill runs, with names like Neurotoxin, Coil Cañon and Fang Drop. The Gazette says the names are a nod to rattlesnakes. Runs are rated green, blue and black.
- Shared, with direction rules: Culebras Trail climbs to the bike hill's hub and a scenic overlook. Bikes may only ride up it. Hikers, runners and horses can go either way.
- Foot and horseback: Chamberlain and Oak Valley trails.
A Hill Built to Run One Direction
The bike hill was designed so bikers and hikers don't have to share. Riders pedal up Culebras, then come down on bike-only trails that drop more than 430 feet through berms, wooden ramps and imported rock. The trails were built by Timberline TrailCraft. Wooden flyovers carry one trail over another where they cross.
Cory Sutela of the mountain biking group Medicine Wheel told the Gazette the bike hill fits a local trend toward downhill-only trails. That trend started in 2019, when the Chutes Trail was changed to downhill bikes only. He also said new trails take some time to settle:
"Timberline is a good builder, but I think trails are never perfect the day you finish them and they often require a little tuneup. So certainly I would give it some time for that."
Not every familiar route made the new map. Parks officials judged the trail known as Fenceline unsustainable, and Sutela expected some longtime Fenceline riders to be disappointed. Expect more of this as work moves north. The southern phase closed "numerous unauthorized social trails," and the same plan governs the rest of the open space.
The Rules Already Cover All of Blodgett
The open space has one set of rules, and the unbuilt section follows them too. If you head out from the north side this fall, here's what applies:
- Blodgett closes at 9 p.m. all year. The City's general park hours run until 10 p.m. from May 1 through October 31. The Master and Management Plan makes Blodgett an exception that closes at 9. It opens at 5 a.m.
- All three trailhead gates close every night.
- No e-bikes of any class. The City's policy keeps every e-bike class off City open space. The Bike Hill map also bans night riding.
- No hiking on bike-only trails. The downhill runs are off-limits on foot.
- Seasonal restrooms close for the winter. Citywide, seasonal restrooms are winterized and closed from October through May.
The 9 p.m. closing time hasn't changed. What's new is the extra signs, gates and trail rules that came with the July opening.
The Unbuilt Half Is the Half Next Door
David Deitemeyer, the City parks administrator for the project, told the Gazette the goal is to build or rebuild about seven more miles of trail connecting the Quarry network to the rest of Blodgett. That would bring the project to about 14 miles of new and improved trail, one of the biggest City Parks trail expansions in recent memory. The City's January 2026 outlook also listed trailhead projects at Quarry and North with 90 new parking spaces in total, plus wildfire mitigation work across the open space. The Quarry lot accounts for 50 of those spaces.
The North Trailhead lot is on Woodmen Road. The City's directions send drivers north on Centennial Boulevard, which becomes Woodmen Road, then about another half mile to reach it.
On timing, the City's Blodgett page still gives an older estimate that construction would wrap up in summer 2026. The July release and a SpringsMag interview published September 8 both put the central and northern work in the rest of 2026, with SpringsMag adding "weather permitting." That leaves about three months as of early October. The City's page warns that construction may cause temporary, isolated closures.
The mix of trail types in the next phase is still a live issue. Deitemeyer said a hiking-only path will be included. He also told the Gazette:
"We still hear concerns about, you're building too much mountain bike-only trails, there's not enough hiking-only trails or it's disproportionately placed in the open space. We did our best through the master plan process to find the consensus, but we understand some folks will not be happy with the end result."
Where Angelstone Street Comes In
The Peregrine HOA is already involved. Its August 2026 board minutes say board representatives met on-site with Deitemeyer on July 31. The minutes also state that "the HOA is not entertaining selling the Common Area along Angelstone Street to the City." When a trail work date is set, the proposed paths will be flagged on the ground so the board can check for new concerns.
In other words, the neighborhood's own land is part of the discussion about where the next trails go, and the flagging is the step the board is waiting for. The minutes don't give a date for it.
The HOA's 2026 schedule lists an Annual Budget Meeting on Wednesday, October 14. The annual membership meeting is less settled. The schedule lists Wednesday, November 18, at 6 p.m. Another HOA page shows a different date. The August minutes say the meeting had to move for the venue and November 18 was likely but not final. Owners who want to hear about the Angelstone paths should confirm the date with the HOA first.
Before October Runs Out
Two smaller dates fall before the citywide schedule shifts. The HOA's events page lists Smokin' J's food truck at Woodmen Valley Park on October 7. HOA food-truck nights run 4:30 to 8 p.m. The HOA paid a $590 fee to keep a porta-potty at Woodmen Valley Park through the end of October. Then on November 1, the rest of the City's parks switch to a 9 p.m. close, the same hour Blodgett keeps all year.
Trail work near your home is worth understanding before you sell. Questions about what the Blodgett plans could mean for a house near Angelstone Street or the North Trailhead, or how buyers tend to ask about open space next door, are good ones to talk through with someone who's watched this part of town for a long time. Kevin James Bond is happy to have that conversation with no pressure and no timeline. Let's Connect.
