A 674-acre ranch on the northern flank of Colorado’s Pikes Peak, once listed as a development site for $5.9 million, has now been bought by Palmer Land Conservancy and will be protected for conservation.
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ranch → list → conservation
The Conservancy closed on the purchase of Pinestone Ranch on August 11, according to Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance.
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Conservancy → close → Alliance
The sale price was not disclosed.
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price → disclose → ?
The property, located just south of Woodland Park along Old Crystola Canyon Road, contains conifer and aspen forest.
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property → locate → forest
The conservation group said it bought the ranch as part of efforts to protect open land around Pikes Peak.
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it → say → Peak
The property is next to Pike National Forest and connects Woodland Park with more than 100,000 acres of public land.
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property → connect → land
It also borders the 6,000-acre Pikes Peak Conservation Corridor.
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It → border → Corridor
For now, the land will remain closed to the public.
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land → remain → public
Palmer will temporarily hold the property while its partners work out long-term ownership and stewardship plans.
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partners → hold → plans
The group said public access could still be years away, but the conservation protection is permanent.
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protection → say → ?
Rebecca Jewett, president and CEO of Palmer Land Conservancy, said opportunities to protect open space on this scale are becoming limited.
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opportunities → say → scale
When an opportunity like Pinestone Ranch comes along, you don’t just protect it.
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you → come → it
You protect everything it can become,” Jewett said.
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Jewett → protect → everything
Why Pinestone Ranch matters
The ranch is also important because of its location near the proposed Ring the Peak trail system.
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ranch → matter → system
Pinestone Ranch sits near one of the remaining gaps on the northeastern side of the route, close to Ute Pass.
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Ranch → sit → Pass
Conservationists see the property as a possible new access point between Woodland Park and the surrounding forest.
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Conservationists → see → Park
The site could eventually provide trails, wildlife habitat and a connection between the town and nearby public lands.
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site → provide → town
Palmer said the property could become an important community connector as plans for the wider area develop.
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plans → say → area
Part of a bigger plan
The Pinestone Ranch purchase comes as several agencies and organisations are working on a broader plan for recreation and conservation around Pikes Peak.
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agencies → come → Peak
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is expanding its role on the mountain through a partnership involving the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Springs Utilities and local governments.
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Parks → expand → Management
One of the priorities is to complete and manage the Ring the Peak corridor.
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One → complete → corridor
The partnership is intended to bring different agencies together instead of having recreation and conservation managed through separate jurisdictions.
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recreation → intend → jurisdictions
A $2.5 million Great Outdoors Colorado-Colorado Parks and Wildlife grant is already supporting trail realignments, environmental reviews and habitat work.
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grant → support → realignments
Pinestone Ranch adds a large protected property on the Woodland Park side to that wider effort.
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Ranch → add → effort
According to Gov. Jared Polis, the partnership would improve and expand recreation opportunities including camping, fishing and hiking while benefiting the landscape and local economy.
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partnership → accord → landscape
The ranch purchase also follows several recent efforts to protect or acquire open space around Woodland Park.
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purchase → follow → Park
The town acquired Avenger Open Space in 2024 and purchased the Shining Mountain Golf Course in 2025.
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town → acquire → 2025
Woodland Park's parks master plan has identified a connection between the town and the Ring the Peak route.
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plan → identify → town
The Pinestone property could provide that connection on a much larger scale.
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property → provide → scale
Jewett said the organisation bought the property with the intention of developing a long-term public access vision, particularly because of its location near the Highway 24 corridor.
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organisation → say → corridor
According to Axios, the conservation group is also involved in protecting 1,018-acre Wild Horse Ranch, on the eastern side of Colorado Springs, through a conservation easement.
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group → accord → easement
Together, the protected areas create a wildlife corridor covering more than 2,000 acres.
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areas → protect → acres
Its protection means the large tract will remain intact while plans for future public access and recreation are developed.
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plans → mean → access
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