Iron Mountain
Intemann Trail, City of Manitou Springs
Date Hiked: May 1, 2022
Distance: 2.6 mi (RT)
Elevation Gain: 460 ft
Elevation Min/Max: 6,653 to 7,095 ft
Trailhead Lat/Long: 38.84268, -104.90381
Managing Agency: City of Manitou Springs
Fee: None
Iron Mountain / Intemann Trail Profile
Directions:
From I-25, take the exit for Hwy 24 and follow Hwy 24 to the west to Manitou Springs. Exit Hwy 24 onto Manitou Ave, the Hwy 24 business route. Turn left, south, onto Crystal Park Road, the trailhead is 1 1/2 miles down the road.
Hike Description:
The Intemann Trail runs through the City of Manitou Springs from the Iron Springs TH near the Manitou Incline, down into Red Rock Canyon Open Space in Colorado Springs. The entire trail is about 5 1/2 miles, one way, but for a nice quick segment of the trail, hiking to the summit of Iron Mountain is a great option.
The best option for hiking to Iron Mountain is to start from the south at the Crystal Park Road Trailhead. Parking is often difficult, if not impossible, from the north, so parking along Crystal Park Road makes things a bit easier. The trail starts by climbing through scrub oak hilsides up a series of steps and soon curves to the east. The trail rounds the eastern slopes with nice views looking down into Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. As the trail rambles back to the west, the trees get a bit more dense and Iron Mountain comes into view.
The trail soon meets Oak Ridge road and heads north to the base of the Iron Mountain Summit. At the junction you can head to the east to continue along the Intemann Trail of continue straight up the short trail to the Iron Mountain summit. The trail rounds up to the flat summit block and the views to the west, north and east open up. The views are impressive and you can see the tip of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Waldo Canyon, and hundreds of other local points of interest.
Follow the same route for the return or continue hiking along the Intemann Trail. This is a nice local trail with a great birds eye view of the surrounding area. The hiking is easy and the trail is simple to follow. A great introduction to the Manitou Springs area.
