A person died on the Manitou Incline on Saturday morning after experiencing breathing problems, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Sheriff’s officials closed the famously difficult trail just before 10 a.m. so first responders could get to a person having a medical emergency, the agency posted on social media. The sheriff’s office asked people on the trail to avoid the 1,000-step rest area.
The person later “succumbed to their illness” and died, sheriff’s officials said.
“Thank you to all of the citizens who called into our 911 dispatch, assisted the individual until help arrived and to the first responders who responded to the scene — including our Search and Rescue team,” the sheriff’s Office said on X.
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Sheriff’s officials reopened the trail about noon.
The Incline is known as one of Colorado’s most challenging hikes, with hikers gaining 2,000 feet in less than a mile as they ascend 2,768 steep, uneven steps. Reservations are required to hike the trail.
An Oregon man also died on the incline in April 2025 after going into medical distress.
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