The Academy's Trail Is Open to Northgate Again. Most Falcons Fans Still Need a Pass for Each Game.

Ticket holders without military ID still get onto the Air Force Academy one event at a time, so a Friday-Saturday hockey series takes two separate passes, and the second one can't be requested until the first game is over.

On Nov. 2, the U.S. Air Force Academy announced updated installation access procedures. The update brought back the Trusted Traveler Program, added a 30-day general access pre-registration link for recreational visitors, and reopened the New Santa Fe Regional Trail where it crosses Academy property. For Northgate, the Academy sits on the other side of the North Gate at I-25 Exit 156, and these changes reopen it unevenly. The trail across the Academy is open to walkers and cyclists again. The winter's indoor season at Cadet Ice Arena and Clune Arena still runs one approved event at a time for most visitors, so a doubleheader day or a hockey weekend has to be planned around that rule.

The Trail Came Back First

The Academy closed this stretch of trail on March 1, 2026. Its March release tied the access changes to the "current world situation" and NORTHCOM directives, and it said there was no credible threat. Eight months later, the Academy's Hiking and Biking Trails page says the Santa Fe Trail "is open for public access, on foot or via bicycle."

On Academy ground the trail runs 6.9 miles point to point, with 1,213 feet of elevation gain, and it is rated easy. It is a wide gravel path beside I-25 and Monument Creek, and parts of it follow the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad bed, which carried trains from 1887 to 1971. Along the way you can see Falcon Stadium, Davis Airfield and the Rampart Range. El Paso County counts that 6.9-mile easement as part of a 14-mile route. Its listed trailheads are at Palmer Lake, Third Street in Monument and Baptist Road, with more access points at Highway 105, Northgate Road and Ice Lake at the Academy.

Under the reopening, these rules apply on Academy property:

• Stay on the corridor. You have to stay on the trail at all times. The Nov. 2 release says trespassing onto the Academy land beside it is still strictly prohibited.
• Dogs on leash. Dogs and horses are allowed, and dogs have to be leashed.
• Helmets for cyclists. Cyclists have to wear helmets and ride at speeds that suit the conditions and other trail users.
• Parking. The lot outside the North Gate has been closed for good since March 2022. The Academy suggests parking at the Edmonson Trailhead, 250 E. Woodmen Road, and heading north. It advises against parking at Ice Lake because trains often block the lot's exit for several hours or longer.

KRDO reported the reopening together with the new 30-day general access pass. That pass covers recreation such as hiking, biking and fishing in designated public areas. It does not cover the Cadet Area. The 30-day pass gets you to the trailheads but not to a game.

A Game Ticket Still Needs Its Own Pass

The Academy's Getting On Base page lists a separate process for ticketed sporting events. For U.S. citizens with a Real ID, it works like this:

1. Buy the ticket, then email the sponsoring organization to request installation access.
2. The sponsoring organization sends a QR code. Use it to pre-register.
3. Security Forces runs a background check, and you get the decision by text.
4. If you are approved, a virtual pass arrives. On the day of the event, go to the North Gate or the South Gate and show a Real ID.

Visitors who aren't U.S. citizens follow a different process that starts at the Pass and Registration Office outside the South Gate, and they need their original passport.

Base access passes are issued for one event at a time. Register for passes one after another, and only once the current event is over. If you register for several at once, the earlier registrations are canceled.

The gates are open to sponsored visitors from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Everyone in the car who is 18 or older needs a current Real ID-compliant credential ready, and expired IDs are turned away. The Gazette's Nov. 2 report notes that Colorado driver's licenses count as Real IDs. Air Force ticketing also tells fans to allow extra time for ID checks at the gate.

Trusted Traveler offers a second way in. An active-duty service member, retiree or cadet can sponsor up to five people with Real IDs riding in the same vehicle, as long as the sponsor stays with the guests the whole time they are on the installation. The Academy had suspended the program in March.

Hockey Weekends Come in Pairs

Nearly every home series at Cadet Ice Arena runs on back-to-back nights, so under the one-event rule the pass for the second game can't be requested until the first game is over. Here is the home schedule from the publish date through February, from Air Force Athletics:

The Bentley series starts tonight. Most Saturday games start at 5:05 p.m., which leaves less of the day to get the second registration through after Friday's 7:05 p.m. game ends. Atlantic Hockey America playoff games could also land at Cadet Ice Arena between March 2 and March 20. The higher seed hosts, so those home dates depend on the standings.

December Stacks Games on the Same Day

Two dates in early December put two home games on a single day, so the one-event rule applies twice within a few hours.

Tuesday, Dec. 1. Women's basketball hosts Chadron State at 4 p.m., and the men host Denver at 7 p.m. Both games are at Clune Arena.

Saturday, Dec. 5. The women host Army at 1 p.m. in the service-academy matchup, and Niagara's second hockey game starts at 5:05 p.m.

On Sunday, Dec. 6, the men host Navy at noon. That makes Army and Navy on back-to-back days, each on its own pass. The men's game against Army is not on this list, because it is a neutral-site game in San Antonio on Nov. 24.

The rest of the basketball home schedule is spread out more:

• Women, November: Southern Utah on Wed., Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m.
• Men, November: Brown on Sat., Nov. 28, 1 p.m.
• Men, after Navy: Alabama State on Dec. 18, Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 21, San Jose State on Jan. 5, UTEP on Jan. 9, New Mexico on Jan. 16, Wyoming on Fri., Jan. 22 at 9 p.m., UNLV on Feb. 2, Hawai'i on Feb. 10, Grand Canyon on Feb. 16, UC Davis on Feb. 20, and Nevada on Mar. 2.
• Women, after Army: Kansas City on Dec. 9, Wyoming on Dec. 30, Grand Canyon on Jan. 2, Hawai'i on Jan. 9, Nevada on Jan. 20, New Mexico on Jan. 30, UNLV on Feb. 6, San Jose State on Feb. 13, UTEP on Feb. 17, and UC Davis on Feb. 24.

Neither team plays its Mountain West tournament at Clune Arena. Both tournaments are in Las Vegas in March.

Once You're Through the Gate

The pass gets you onto the base. Getting into the arena is a separate check with its own rules:

• Parking. Clune Arena and Cadet Ice Arena both use the Cadet Field House east lots. Athletics routes drivers in through the North Gate toward Parade Loop and Field House Drive. General parking doesn't require a parking pass. Premium parking may.
• Doors. Cadet Field House gates and the ticket office open one hour before each event. Everyone and everything they carry is subject to search.
• Bags. The clear-bag policy allows one clear bag up to 12 by 12 by 12 inches, one clear one-gallon zip bag, or a clutch no bigger than 5.5 by 7.5 inches. Backpacks, large purses, drawstring bags and tinted bags are not allowed.
• Food and water. Water bottles have to be clear and soft-sided, 24 ounces or smaller, and either factory-sealed or empty. Any food you bring has to fit in one clear gallon zip bag per ticket holder.
• Storage and re-entry. The venue can't hold prohibited items, so leave them in the car. Re-entry is allowed with a hand stamp and a second trip through the metal detector.

For questions about a pass, the Pass and Registration Office at the South Gate can be reached at (719) 333-0441.

Jeanne and The Elite Team live and work along the same I-25 corridor as the North Gate, and we keep track of the access changes that affect it. If you're hosting family for the Army or Navy weekend and want help figuring out who can get in on Trusted Traveler and who needs their own pass, reach out and Schedule Your Free Market Consultation. We're happy to share what we know about the Academy side of the neighborhood along with the housing side.