Palmer Land Conservancy announced the acquisition of Pinestone Ranch, a 674-acre property on the southern edge of Woodland Park, in a move advocates say could reshape outdoor access across the Pikes Peak region.

The 674 acres would "create the Woodland Park area's largest public outdoor recreation destination," the Colorado Springs-based organization said in a news release. The Palmer Land Conservancy says it is their first project of this size dedicated to future public access. The property was acquired at an undisclosed price.

Palmer Land Conservancy intends to hold the property and keep it closed "while working with partners to determine its long-term ownership and stewardship, ensuring Pinestone Ranch is thoughtfully managed as public open space for future generations." It is uncertain as to when it might become that destination.

Said Palmer Land Conservancy President and CEO Rebecca Jewett: "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."

Pinestone Ranch is more than five times the size of 120-acre Avenger Open Space, which Woodland Park celebrated as its largest open space purchase ever in 2024. The next year, the city moved to purchase Shining Mountain Golf Course — 355 acres where advocates foresee trails and reimagined recreation. Pinestone Ranch is bigger than those other two properties combined.

The land is along existing federal public land, and officials say the new acquisition will enable better connectivity throughout the wider Pikes Peak region and foster more outdoor recreation. Jewett noted that while Woodland Park is surrounded by Pike National Forest, "the actual access to get on trails is limited. You have to drive pretty far in some cases. So the proximity of this property is something that makes it incredibly appealing from a public recreation perspective."

The acquisition also fits into the decades-old vision of a trail circumnavigating Pikes Peak. "This is an amazing opportunity to fulfill the original plan for Ring the Peak, which was to have multiple different city portals into Ring the Peak," said the founder of nonprofit Teller Trail Team. "To see a big step forward like this is really encouraging, because otherwise Woodland Park isn't a logical connection point for Ring the Peak."

Having toured the property, he described a mosaic of pine, aspen and granite outcrops "that you can easily scramble up for amazing views of Pikes Peak and 360 degrees," with "an amazing collection of different types of topography all wrapped up into one, because of the sheer size of it."

Along with Great Outdoors Colorado, Palmer Land Conservancy gained financial backing from Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the H.A. & Mary K. Chapman Foundation. Great Outdoors Colorado, which has pledged major support in lottery funds, was described as essential in Pinestone Ranch's acquisition.

Without a sales tax fund dedicated to open space — like the city of Colorado Springs has along with Douglas County, Jefferson County and several other Front Range municipalities — advocates sounded doubtful ownership could shift to Woodland Park or Teller County. They expressed interest in an initiative touted by Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife alongside land managers and outdoor industry leaders representing Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance: for CPW to increase its presence across the region and work toward establishing a sort of "Pikes Peak Recreation Area."

The question of long-term ownership and a funding mechanism to support stewardship of Pinestone Ranch and other recent Woodland Park open space acquisitions remains unresolved.