El Paso County accepted the 1,070-acre site through the land development process. The site straddles the Palmer Divide in the Black Forest and is characterized by gentle rolling terrain, covered by ponderosa pine forests, grassland meadows, wetlands, dotted with small ponds with abundant wildlife, including elk, whitetail deer, raptors, and turkeys.
The Palmer Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the site which ensures scenic, wildlife, aesthetic, recreational, and ecological conservation values will be preserved and maintained in perpetuity.
The Pineries Open Space Master Plan was completed in 2010 which guides the overall development of the site. In 2013, the site was extremely damaged by the Black Forest Fire and significantly delayed the opening of the site for public use.
Phase 1 improvements include 1,070 acres of scenic open space, large trailhead, restroom, and approximately 9 miles of single-track trail.
