Share
Previous Page
Colorado Springs Travel Articles
- Colorado Springs – A True Western Adventure
- Scenic & Historic Trains of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Welcome to the Great Outdoors in Colorado Springs, Colorado
In the Pikes Peak region, “City Park” takes on a whole new meaning. Picnic tables perch near the banks of bubbling streams. Walking trails, winding up mountains and past massive rock formations, are shared by the occasional mule deer or black bear. Colorado Springs boasts 14,000 acres of parkland—151 parks with 160 miles of trails, 47 open-space areas, and 105 miles of urban trails. More public land sprawls just outside the city limits in county parks, a state park, and the more than 1 million acres of Pike National Forest. A two-hour drive takes skiers to a number of the state’s 22 ski resorts. Drive less than an hour to world-famous rafting and kayaking on the Arkansas River, the most rafted river in the country. And top it all off with Pikes Peak, one of the world’s most popular destinations, which offers a vast collection of forests, lakes, canyons, and meadows frequented by hikers, campers, and anglers. “We have a fabulous system and location,” says Dan Cleveland, executive director of the nonprofit Trails and Open Space Coalition. “We have incredibly benign weather that allows us to recreate all year long.” That makes life enjoyable for Cleveland, a runner who says he seldom has to bundle up for his daily workout, even in the middle of winter. Here are some favorite parks.
Garden of the Gods Park -Visitors are drawn here by the rock formations—vertical fins of sandstone, limestone, and shale that date back 70 million years. Some guests drive through, stopping to photograph the rock walls that glow in the sunlight. Others linger, climbing the wind- and rain-scarred formations or hiking and exploring the 15 miles of trails that wind through tangles of pinon and juniper trees.
Pikes Peak. To reach the summit (and not by train or car), a pair of hiking trails offer stunning views and breath-zapping elevation gains. The Barr Trail heads uphill from the town of Manitou Springs, challenging hikers with a 7,400-foot elevation gain over 13 miles. An hour’s drive west on the backside of the mountain, the Devil’s Playground Trail is shorter (8.5 miles with a 4,100-foot gain) but equally spectacular, with alpine wildflowers and marmots standing guard.
Paint Mines. Clay formations are the centerpiece here. Think natural sculpture garden in candy colors—butterscotch, purple, and pink. Clay spires and knobs painted by minerals have been eroded by wind and water to form the canyon, a surprising slash in the rolling hills.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Our newest state park sprawls at the base of its namesake mountain, which is best known for housing the underground headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The park is a favorite among hikers and wildlife watchers who are often rewarded with glimpses of black bears, wild turkeys or the frantic activity of a blacktailed prairie dog colony, on alert as a golden eagle soars overhead.
ADVERTISEMENT
