Just north of the corner of Shoup Road and Black Forest Road, the Black Forest Community Club parking lot is about to hold alpaca pens. Near where Shoup meets Burgess Road, the trailhead at Black Forest Section 16 now has an expanded equestrian parking lot and two new mounting blocks that were not there in the spring.
Most of the holiday season in Black Forest happens between those two points. One building hosts nearly every public event from now to mid-December, and the newest public amenity in the forest this year was built for riders. Put together, the calendar and the County's work this year both serve the same thing, the animal-and-acreage life that defines this part of El Paso County.
The Same Address Three Times in Three Weeks
The Black Forest Community Club sits at 12530 Black Forest Road, and its two big events in the coming weeks are on separate weekends.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat. Nov. 21 and Sun. Nov. 22 | 21st Annual Holiday Alpaca Extravaganza | Black Forest Community Club, 12530 Black Forest Rd. | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | Thanksgiving Eve worship | Black Forest Lutheran Church | 7 p.m. |
| Sat. Dec. 5 | Christmas in the Forest | Black Forest Community Club, 12530 Black Forest Rd. | 2 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun. Dec. 13 | Kids Christmas Program | Black Forest Lutheran Church | 5 p.m. |
Both club events come with something extra. The alpaca weekend falls the weekend before Thanksgiving this year, and Christmas in the Forest ends with the club's tree lighting after dark. The two Black Forest Lutheran dates fill the weekdays and Sundays around them, as the church's November newsletter, The Scribe, lists them.
The Alpaca Weekend Brings Local Farms Indoors
SECAB has run its Holiday Alpaca Extravaganza for 21 years. This year it again takes over the Community Club, with farm booths inside the building and alpaca pens outside. The organizers write that they may even bring a llama this time. The Gazette's holiday craft fair roundup gives the hours as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Some of the farms connected to the event are in Black Forest's own 80908 ZIP code. Wild Hair Alpacas is at 5815 Mountain Shadow View in Colorado Springs and takes farm visits by appointment. Wooly Works Farm & Knit Shop runs a farm retail shop that sells items made on-site, and it posts regular hours on its own website. Both farms can still be visited after the pens are packed up, Wild Hair by appointment and Wooly Works during its posted hours.
Christmas in the Forest Closes the Loop on December 5
Two weeks after the alpacas leave, the club hosts its annual holiday tree lighting. Christmas in the Forest runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 2 to 7 p.m. at the same address, and the schedule is easy to plan around:
- 2 p.m. Doors open for shopping with local vendors, gifts, food and seasonal treats.
- 2 to 4 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus are at the Community Club for photos.
- 5 p.m. The Christmas tree lighting.
The club's event page points visitors to Big Papa's Grill and specifically recommends the Angry Elf Tacos. Families with younger kids can come early for Santa and leave before dark. Everyone else can arrive after 4, eat, and stay for the 5 p.m. lighting.
Shoup Road's other regular gathering has already wrapped up for the year. The Saturday farmers market at 6845 Shoup Road ran from May 23 to October 17. Until spring, the Community Club is the only regular weekend draw on this stretch.
West on Shoup, the County Built for Horses
The same rural identity that fills the Community Club with alpaca pens shows up at the trails, this time in parking, gates and fencing.
Black Forest Section 16 sits at 8510 Burgess Road, with its main lot off Burgess near the Shoup Road intersection. The Trails and Open Space Coalition describes it as a 90-acre property with a four-mile loop.
El Paso County spent part of this year making that loop easier to reach with a horse trailer. According to the County's November 2026 Park Advisory Board report, the Section 16 trailhead project expanded the equestrian parking lot and added equine amenities, gates and signage. A separate contract covered fencing. The State Land Board approved the expansion, construction started in July, and it was finished in August.
Crews came back in October. North District staff installed two mounting blocks to make the new equestrian lot easier to use, and box-bladed the entire trail loop for fall. In practice, a rider who parks a trailer at Section 16 now has a purpose-built place to tack up, a step to mount from, and a freshly graded loop.
One winter detail affects anyone heading to the larger park nearby. The County has winterized the domestic water system at Black Forest Regional Park, along with Fox Run Regional Park, Baptist Road Trailhead and Palmer Lake Recreation Area. For a cold-weather walk or ride at Black Forest Regional Park, bring your own water for yourself and your dog.
The Next Horse Lot Is Already on Paper
Section 16 is the first of two planned upgrades. The same County report says the next phase at Pineries Open Space follows a similar plan. The Pineries Open Space Phase II Improvements Project calls for a new equestrian parking lot near the outbuildings at the main trailhead, as laid out in the Pineries Open Space Master Plan. The current lot would become standard vehicle parking only.
Here is where the project stands this month:
- Wilson and Company is under contract for the Phase II construction document update, which is expected to be finished by the end of 2026.
- Site furnishings and utilities are part of the scope, and the outbuildings may be improved for maintenance use if funding allows.
- County planning and outreach staff are working with Scheels on a $250,000 grant aimed at 2027 implementation.
Once both projects are finished, Section 16 and Pineries will each have a lot designed for horse trailers, and at Pineries the existing lot will be left for cars.
Dinner Back on Shoup Road
Black Forest Bistro sits on Shoup itself, at 6750 Shoup Road. In The Gazette's reader-voted restaurant feature published Oct. 29, 2026, it tied for bronze in the Colorado-inspired cuisine category.
The Bistro's homepage describes a menu that changes regularly and a cheese-wheel experience offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If a midweek dinner suits you better than a crowded Saturday, that fits nicely. The Thanksgiving Eve service at Black Forest Lutheran is on Wednesday, Nov. 25, one of the cheese-wheel nights.
For the next four weeks, the season's main stops sit on or just off Shoup Road. The alpacas are at 12530 Black Forest Road on Nov. 21 and 22, the tree lighting is at the same address at 5 p.m. on Dec. 5, and the new horse trailer lot at 8510 Burgess Road is open the whole time.
If the new trailer lot has you thinking about what your own barn, arena or acreage adds to your property, Chad and Todd at The Lauber Group can give you a home value that accounts for the horse-property features buyers in Black Forest look for. Reach out for your free estimate whenever it suits you, maybe after the tree lighting.
