The Pikes Peak Region is packed with legendary outdoor experiences: strolling through Garden of the Gods, huffing your way up the 2,768 steps of the Manitou Incline, taking in America the Beautiful from the Pikes Peak Summit.
Trouble is, everyone else wants to have those experiences too. The famous places are packed while dozens upon dozens of other local trails, parks and outdoorsy resources remain comparatively untouched.
Cue “Marlow,” a new online tool from the local nonprofit Trails and Open Space Coalition.
“Our goal is to give people more variety and a way to branch out to other spots and to find quiet peace and tranquil areas to go to if that's what they're looking for,” said TOSC Program Coordinator Aaron Rogers.
Over the last year, the group has compiled more than 100 parks, trails and open spaces into an interactive list, now online. Each entry comes with a detailed summary on the area: where to park, hours of operation, amenities and activities found there as well as photos showing what to expect.
What’s more is Marlow allows the user to filter by activity, and the list is widespread. Want to find a place to rollerblade? How about adaptive biking or wildlife viewing or bouldering? Maybe miniature boating?
“If you want to go out and drive your remote boat somewhere, or if you wanted to go bird watching, or if you needed a playground. Anything like that. A place to walk your dog,” Rogers said. “We want to make sure that every possibility was listed so that we hit as many interest areas as possible.”
The tool is named after the coalition’s new vest-and-handkerchief-wearing cartoon mascot, Marlow the marmot.
“They're really tough and creative creatures,” Rogers said. “They're just everywhere and curious, and that's what we hope our community is.”
This iteration of the Marlow site is what Rogers described as “phase one.” He said the coalition intends to keep expanding the tool, eventually adding every neighborhood park and venturing further afield to help residents explore more nearby regions.
