Local and state elected officials and outdoor industry leaders recently gathered in Colorado Springs to celebrate what Becky Leinweber called “a milestone moment.”

That was the moment represented by a document spanning hundreds of pages, called the Outdoor Pikes Peak Initiative Vision Plan.

After more than three years of meetings in El Paso, Teller and Fremont counties, along with more internal discussions among land managers and advocates, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PPORA) has finalized the plan that seeks to realize the region’s potential for play while addressing conservation concerns. The plan was a point of celebration recently at PPORA’s annual State of the Outdoors event.

And now the real work begins, said Leinweber, the nonprofit alliance’s executive director.

“There’s a strong commitment to not just have a great plan that sits on the shelf and collects dust,” she said. “Really, we are already moving into implementation.”

It’s one of 30 recommended projects listed in the plan, one that has been a focus for decades: Ring the Peak Trail. Envisioned to encircle Pikes Peak for more than 60 miles, a gap has long existed along the loop, around Cripple Creek and Victor.

But filling that gap won’t necessarily be the aim of initial implementation, Leinweber said. Not yet. First: establishing a partnership outlined in a letter of intent for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to take on more management along the Ring the Peak “corridor” across local, state and federal jurisdictions.

Before filling the trail’s complex gap, most important was solving “the management gap,” Leinweber explained.

Stakeholders including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Springs Utilities and Teller County signed that letter of intent “to explore a collaborative endeavor with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.” Gov. Jared Polis also voiced his support in previously announcing the Colorado Outdoors Strategy, backed by a five-year, $50 million grant program under Great Outdoors Colorado for regional partnerships statewide, such as PPORA.

The nonprofit is vying for an initial grant amounting to $2.5 million. What could that accomplish? Leinweber mentioned, for one, the need to analyze and define the “corridor” in the letter of intent. She mentioned also the need to analyze wildlife and wildfire risks along Ring the Peak’s gap on the mountain’s backside. On the front side, she mentioned El Paso County’s ongoing efforts to extend another part of Ring the Peak: Ute Pass Trail running up the pass from Manitou Springs.

“The funding from that $2.5 million will go toward all these aspects,” Leinweber said. “Will it complete all of them? No. We need additional funds to do that.”

As is the case for many of the plan’s other 29 recommended projects that PPORA has pledged to support over the years to come. They include ongoing strategies for watershed protection, wildfire mitigation, private-public land conservation and outdoor education.

Here’s a look at more:

Camping management and development: Across Pike National Forest, the idea is to “assess existing camping facilities, evaluate their current state and identify both current and future needs.” Leinweber suggested this could be another role of CPW, which manages camping on federal land encompassing the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.

Waldo Canyon: Colorado Springs’ Parks Department has embarked on reclamation of Black Canyon Quarry, also known as Snyder Quarry, seen high in the hills near Cave of the Winds. The city sees a new gateway to Waldo Canyon recreation that was lost to the 2012 wildfire. Onlookers have worried about funding for reclamation.

Downhill mountain bike course: PPORA refers to a “cutting-edge” facility, while the phrase “world-class” has also been used over the years to describe the set of specialized trails and features. Pending reclamation, Colorado Springs officials have eyed the Pikeview Quarry on the city’s northwest side.

Pikes Peak Highway management plan update: The highway’s manager has expressed interest in expanding recreation off the highway. Said Leinweber: “When you already have a disturbed area, which is what you would call an area with a highway, doing things that are right off that makes much more sense than going far into the interior, in a more wild place.”

COS Creek Plan: A 62-page document from 2023 laid out a vision to invest and steward Monument and Fountain creeks running through Colorado Springs, with a specific focus on reimagining the waterways through downtown.

OHV training facility: Leinweber said an educational and fun hub for off-roaders was something “that rose to the top” of PPORA talks over the years. The hope is a facility that “would help protect the region’s natural resources while promoting safe and appropriate use.”

Front Range Trail: PPORA seeks to add its support to the long-supported trail spanning the state’s major populations north to Wyoming and south to New Mexico. For decades pieces have been added to the network that’s been estimated at more than 870 miles.

Minnequa Dam restructuring: The outdated dam is about a half-mile upstream from Florence’s Pathfinder Park. A revitalization “checks so many boxes,” Leinweber said. “When we do that, we can be proactive about boat passage for recreation and fish passage for aquatic habitat.”

Royal Loop: Among other projects in Fremont County, this dream for a 40-mile trail linking Cañon City with the Royal Gorge was identified. The plan pinpoints a final stretch through Grand Canyon Hills near Temple Canyon Park.

Land manager summit: Leinweber has thought about an annual gathering of federal, state and local land managers — “to think about how to build bridges,” she said, “how to build those relationships and build trust, so we can work together on our very complex challenges.”