KINGS DEER AREA

Ask most people in Colorado Springs about the acreage east of Monument and they’ll say “Kings Deer.” That’s the golf course talking: it’s the name the wider public recognizes. Locals know it’s really a cluster of neighboring subdivisions, each with its own identity. This page covers Kings Deer itself, north of Highway 105, along with Hilltop Pines and Cherry Springs Ranch. Bent Tree, Arrowwood and their neighbors, where the pines take over, have their own page: Bent Tree & Higby Road.

The lay of the land

Kings Deer itself dates to 1994 and covers more than 1,200 acres, with 531 homesites across its Classic and Highlands sections, 52 acres of shared open space and a network of walking trails. The King’s Deer Golf Club sits right in the middle. Lots typically run about two and a half acres. Much of Kings Deer is open grassland with long views west toward Pikes Peak and the Front Range, and the wooded sections sit closer to Black Forest.

Here’s how the pieces fit together. Kings Deer sits east of Woodmoor, with County Line Road along its north edge. In its southeast corner is Hilltop Pines, a small pocket of some of the largest homes in the area that most people never realize is a separate subdivision, with Cherry Springs Ranch beyond it to the east. Arrowwood, to the southwest, straddles Highway 105, with sections on both sides of the highway. South across 105 are Bent Tree and Canterbury. All three are covered on the Bent Tree & Higby Road page.

Wherever you are out here, don’t be surprised to see wild turkeys wandering through.

East of Hilltop Pines, Cherry Springs Ranch is small enough that most people drive through it and assume they’re still in Kings Deer. It’s a separate community of just 16 homesites on 2.5 to 20 acres, just north of Highway 105 and about half a mile west of Highway 83, with its own covenants and newer homes than most of the acreage around it. Kings Deer Highlands is to its north, Canterbury to the south and Walden to the southeast. Its southeast section, toward the northwest corner of Highway 83 and Baptist Road, is a large planned unit development (PUD) expected to be mixed use, with plans that include commercial.

The name trips people up. Cherry Creek Springs is a different community farther east in Black Forest, with 5-acre-plus lots. Cherry Springs Ranch is closer in to both Monument and Colorado Springs.

It feels rural without being remote. Downtown Monument and I-25 at Highway 105 are about 10 minutes away.

One thing locals know that newcomers tend to learn the hard way: much of Kings Deer is open ground right on top of the Palmer Divide, so it gets more wind and drifting snow than most of the Monument area. It’s the same openness that gives you the views. Just plan for it. How a driveway faces, where the garage sits and how sheltered a lot is all make a real difference in January.

Living here

The golf course at King’s Deer opened in 1999 and covers about 200 acres of rolling hills and wetlands. It’s a public course, so you don’t have to live in Kings Deer to play, and anyone can buy an annual membership.

Otherwise, life here centers on space: room for a big garden, a workshop, a long walk without crossing a busy road, and a view of the weather rolling in off the mountains. You’re close to Lewis-Palmer schools, Monument’s restaurants, and the I-25 corridor when you need it.

Cherry Springs Ranch, just up the street from me, is prairie living. It’s open ground, so you get big sunrises and sunsets, wide-open skies and real stargazing, and you won’t be cleaning pine needles out of your gutters. About 100 acres on its east side, just west of Highway 83, are still a working ranch, Searle Ranch, run by the same family that developed Cherry Springs Ranch, and Texas Longhorns graze there through the summer.

There’s history there, too. The old townsite of Gwillimville, which lasted from about 1870 to 1920, sat at the center of what’s now Cherry Springs Ranch. You can still see the old stage road where it crosses the valley and disappears into the ponderosas to the west, and one cabin from Gwillimville still stands. The neighbors call it “the little house on the prairie.”

The homes

Most homes in Kings Deer and its neighbors were built from the 1990s through the 2010s. They’re largely custom and semi-custom, often 4,000 square feet or more, with three- and four-car garages, walkout basements and big decks that face the view. Some neighboring subdivisions have newer custom construction, and some have older ranch-style homes on acreage. Hilltop Pines has some of the largest homes of all. Cherry Springs Ranch has only 16 homesites, with custom homes from the 2010s, often ranch plans of 4,000 square feet or more. Not every homesite there has been built on yet, and the developer hasn’t released plans for additional filings.

Worth knowing before you buy

Each subdivision has its own covenants. Kings Deer, Hilltop Pines and Cherry Springs Ranch each have their own rules on outbuildings, animals, fencing and architecture. What’s allowed on one side of the road may not be allowed on the other. Read them for the specific parcel.

Water and septic. Acreage around here typically relies on wells and septic systems. In Kings Deer, water use is governed by court water decrees, and the HOA handles the required water reporting, including owners’ meter readings. Every home in Cherry Springs Ranch is on its own well and septic system. Ask about the decree terms, confirm the water source and septic setup for the specific property, and inspect both.

Wind and snow. On the open parts of Kings Deer especially, ask how a property handles drifting snow, and look closely at driveway and garage orientation.

Know what’s planned next door. The PUD in the southeast section of Cherry Springs Ranch is planned for mixed use, including commercial. If you’re looking at a lot on that side, toward Highway 83 and Baptist Road, check the county’s current plans for that land before you commit.

Wildfire mitigation. Wooded lots need defensible space, and insurance carriers will ask. Get a quote early in the process.

Schools. This area is in Lewis-Palmer School District 38. Verify assigned schools by address.

Nearby neighborhoods

South across Highway 105, the Bent Tree & Higby Road area has large homes on wooded acreage, including Grandwood Ranch. For the trees with smaller lots and more neighborhood amenities, Woodmoor is just to the west. For trails, ponds and smaller acreage homesites, Walden is just southeast of Cherry Springs Ranch. If you’re open to even more acreage and deeper forest, Black Forest is the next step east.

For the bigger picture, see the Tri-Lakes hub.

Current market and listings

Acreage pricing varies a lot from parcel to parcel, so the monthly Market Update is a better guide to the overall trend than to any one property. Active listings in 80132 are below. If you’re looking at acreage up here, I’d love to walk it with you. Covenants, wells and how a lot handles wind matter as much as the house.