Palmer Land Conservancy announced it had taken ownership of Pinestone Ranch, a 674-acre tract on the southern fringe of Woodland Park, in a move the Colorado Springs-based organization described as a landmark step for outdoor recreation across the Pikes Peak region. The conservancy said the acreage would establish what it characterized as the Woodland Park area's premier public outdoor recreation destination.
The purchase stands as the nearly 50-year-old conservancy's largest acquisition undertaken specifically to create future public access — a notable departure from its more typical focus on conservation easements rather than outright land purchases. The sale price was not disclosed. Palmer Land Conservancy plans to retain ownership of the property and keep it closed to visitors while working with partners to settle on a long-term ownership and stewardship arrangement that would ensure Pinestone Ranch is managed responsibly as public open space for coming generations.
Rebecca Jewett, the organization's president and chief executive, said opportunities of this kind are increasingly scarce. "There are very few chances left to create public open space at this scale on the Front Range. When an opportunity like Pinestone Ranch comes along, you don't just protect it. You protect everything it can become." Jewett noted that while the landscape surrounding Woodland Park is natural and beautiful, reaching trailheads often requires driving considerable distances, making the ranch's proximity to town especially compelling from a recreation standpoint.
At 674 acres, Pinestone Ranch dwarfs the 120-acre Avenger Open Space, which Woodland Park hailed as its biggest-ever open space purchase in 2024 — the new ranch is more than five times that size. The following year, the city pursued acquisition of the 355-acre Shining Mountain Golf Course, a property that advocates envision being reshaped for trails and reimagined recreation. Pinestone Ranch exceeds the combined acreage of those two earlier acquisitions.
The ranch borders existing federal public land, and officials said the new holding should strengthen trail connectivity throughout the broader Pikes Peak region while encouraging expanded outdoor recreation opportunities. Someone who toured the property described a varied terrain of pine, aspen, and granite outcrops that visitors could scramble for sweeping views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding landscape in every direction, with an unusually broad mix of topographic features packed into one parcel owing to its sheer size.
The Teller Trail Team founder said the acquisition represents a meaningful advance toward the original vision for Ring the Peak — a route designed to encircle Pikes Peak through several distinct town entry points — and argued the deal gives Woodland Park a logical place in that corridor for the first time. Advocates also pointed to an initiative backed by Governor Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, pursued alongside land managers and outdoor industry leaders through the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, that envisions greater CPW involvement in the region and the possible establishment of a Pikes Peak Recreation Area.
Great Outdoors Colorado, directing lottery funds toward the effort, played an essential role in making the acquisition possible. Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the H.A. & Mary K. Chapman Foundation also provided early financial support. Because neither Woodland Park nor Teller County has a sales tax fund set aside for open space — a tool available to Colorado Springs, Douglas County, Jefferson County, and a number of other Front Range communities — advocates expressed doubt that local government could take on ownership in the near term.
Who will ultimately hold stewardship of Pinestone Ranch, and when the public might gain access, remains unresolved.