Land Acknowledgment

This is a community stewardship day, which we acknowledge takes place on the traditional unceded territory of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), and Cheyenne Nations*. We recognize the painful history of genocide and forced occupation of their territory. We honor and respect the many diverse indigenous people connected to this land on which our stewardship days take place.  

We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds and communities, this weekend will be open to those 18+.

Driving Directions:

Volunteers will be parking in an area not open to the public so please follow directions carefully once you leave Highway 67 there is little to no cell phone service. To arrive at this location you will follow the driving directions below, a map link has been provided for reference. This is the location of the gate where a RMFI Staff member will meet you at and provide access for the workday only. 

Forest Service Gate (no public access)

Coming from Highway 24 you will be turning left off of Hwy 67 just after the entrance to Mueller State Park onto Teller County Road 62. The sign reads, "CR 62" and there is also a brown Forest Service sign that points you in the direction of the Crags; this sign reads "Crags C.R. 3 1/2". You will now be on a dirt road for the remainder of the drive. This road is accessible to non 4x4 vehicles though we recommend that you drive carefully. Approximately 1.6 miles up CR 62 you will reach a fork at the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, stay to your RIGHT. You will continue up CR 62 for another 2.5 miles into a more forested section of the road. You will pass the Raspberry Mountain Trailhead, the Crags Trailhead, and will pass the Campground. Once you have passed the campground, the road continues, and past a large meadow on your right, there will be a dirt road on your left with a gate, you have arrived where a RMFI staff member will let you through. This is a passable steep dirt road that does not require a 4x4 vehicle. The road is free of obstacles though we do recommend a vehicle that has some clearance and tires that are in good condition as you will be parking up the road in a clearing.

If you run into driving issues and have service, a Field Phone number will be provided in a confirmation email that will route you to a RMFI staff member in Colorado Springs, as the staff at the work site will not have service. We recommend downloading driving directions prior to leaving. 

Online registration will close at 11:59 pm on Monday, July 8th. For this workday pre-registration is required, please register online. If you need any assistance registering please contact Calla at calla@rmfi.org. 

Project Infomation:

In 2019, RMFI broke ground on the new Devils Playground Trail and will continue our efforts in the 2023 season. The Devils Playground Trail (also known as the Crags Trail) traverses approximately 7 miles and 4,300 feet starting from a trailhead located near the Crags Campground (Woodland Park, CO) and terminating at the summit of Pikes Peak, elevation 14,115 feet. The trail is located entirely on the USFS Pike National Forest. The trail is one of two primary hiking trails to the summit of Pikes Peak, known to be one of the most visited mountains in the world. The Devils Playground Trail offers a shorter, less crowded route as compared to Barr Trail, and provides hikers with stunning views of mountain ranges to the west.

In late 2018, the Pikes Peak Ranger District finished analysis that is required by the NEPA process. Botanical and archaeological surveys showed that the new trail would not have deleterious impacts to the ecology of the area, which paved the way for construction of a re-route of the Devils Playground Trail to begin in 2019. RMFI will work with youth corps crews, its own internal stewardship crew, and community volunteers to construct the new trail. 

If you have concerns about accessibility on this stewardship day, please reach out to us, or for your reference please use our Trail Terminology Guide to learn more about this activity.

For more information about what to bring for the stewardship day, visit our FAQ page.

*If you would like to learn about the native territories that each of our projects are located on, please follow this link: https://www.rmfi.org/projects.