Colorado Springs Hiking TrailsColorado Springs hiking trails are, in our opinion, the best way to “take in” the great outdoors. They’re free and they're fun. ALSO, visit our Best Hiking Trail for Vacationers. AND, if you're up for a day trip, take a short drive northwest to see a Boulder Colorado Hiking Trail or head straight west to Buena Vista to trek on the Ptarmigan Lake trail. Enough talk already, let’s choose a trail... To help, we’ve broken them down with our highly scientific effort scale: Here are the Colorado Springs hiking trails that get our EASY rating: GARDEN OF THE GODS Probably the most famous park in all of Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods has over 15 miles of hiking trails through and around the park, with names like Siamese Twins, Ridge, and Buckskin Charlie. Several of them are shorter, with little elevation rise and exceptional views of Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods sandstone formations. Garden of the Gods paved pathway
Free full-color trail maps are available at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, located directly across from the park’s entrance. Time: 30 min-2 hours. Directions: From I-25 take Garden of the Gods Rd west, then 30th Street south to the park. RED ROCK CANYON OPEN SPACE Our favorite of all the “easy” Colorado Springs hiking trails has got to be Red Rock Canyon Open Space. There are plenty of amazing trails to choose from, but this is our “daily hiker.” It’s easy to find, rarely busy, and full of cool stuff to look at. This trail is actually kind of an extension of the Garden of the Gods park, featuring similar terrain on a smaller scale. However, this park only allows hikers, bikers, and horses—no automobiles! This makes it much quieter, and (we think) more fun. ***INSIDER TIP: If the parking area looks busy, don't be discouraged. There are so many miles of trails here, rarely will you ever feel "crowded." In fact, this could be a nice trail if you want to avoid the summer vacation rush of places like Garden of the Gods.*** Thirteen miles of trails take you up ridges, alongside canyons, past ponds, near giant sandstone rock slabs, and through a pyramid-like rock formation that feels like something out of Mayan culture (but is actually just a remnant of an old rock quarry). Weird pyramid-like rocks at Red Rock Canyon Open Space
You will likely see a lot of mule deer bounding around, and you might even hear a coyote or two. Time: 1+ hours, depending on how much you want to hike. We usually do the Mesa Trail in 50-75 minutes. Directions: From I-25 take the Cimarron Street exit west. Cimarron Street will turn into Highway 24. After the 31st Street light, turn left onto Ridge Road. Red Rock Canyon will be on the south side of the street. The parking lot is located at the end of Ridge Road. NORTH CHEYENNE CANON PARK – Helen Hunt Falls These Colorado Springs hiking trails feel more like you're in a National Park than a city park, with sweeping scenery, lots of trails of varying degrees, even a visitor’s center. In the summer, Helen Hunt Falls is a beautiful place to visit. The Helen Hunt Falls hike is short, with a close-up look at the falls via a walk-over bridge, and offers a great introduction to how majestic the forest views can be in Colorado Springs.   Several trails from .1 miles to 3 miles are available here. Time: 20 minutes - 2 hours depending on your trail choice. Directions: From I-25 take the Cimarron Street/Highway 24 exit west. Stay on highway 24 until 21st Street, then turn left (south) on 21st Street. Stay on 21st Street until you get to Cheyenne Boulevard and turn right (west) on Cheyenne Boulevard. UTE VALLEY PARK Located on the northwest side of town, Ute Valley Park is unique compared to the other Colorado Springs hiking trails in that it has such a variety of landscapes. This park really has it all! The trailhead begins near a small marsh (complete with ducks), then rises to a plateau covered with sunflowers, morphs into a sandy, rocky desertscape with cactus, and then down into wide open grassy fields and even dense woods. Trailhead at Ute Valley Park
As always, there are great views of the front range mountains. The bluffs within the park are pretty too, and there are interesting rocks all along the trails.
Word of caution: because of the sandy/rocky spots, there are rattlesnakes. But like bears and mountain lions, rattlesnakes are more afraid of you than you are of them. Keep your eyes and ears open and you should be fine. We’ve never seen any, by the way, we just know they’re there because of the signs. ;) Being so close to a residential area, you’ll see a lot of families on this trail. Many locals use Ute Valley Park’s trails for after-work and weekend recreation. There are so many trails, though, you’ll never feel crowded. Time: 1-2 hours. Directions: From I-25, take Garden of the Gods Rd west to Centennial Blvd. Go north (right) on Centennial Blvd to Vindicator Dr. Go east (right) on Vindicator Dr. to the parking lot. PALMER PARK This is a big beautiful park smack-dab in the middle of the city. What’s odd though, is you feel like you are miles away from civilization. It’s quiet. It’s wooded. There are wild animals running (or flying) around. My only hesitation with recommending the Palmer Park trails for vacationers is that there are so many combinations of trails here, it’s easy to get turned around. There are over 700 acres of trees and rock and sand. If you’re the adventurous type, though, go for it! There’s much fun to be had at Palmer Park, great views of the city and mountains, and plenty of really wild rock formations to see. And if you’re a mountain biker, this is your Shangri-La. Directions: From Academy Blvd, go west on Maizeland Road. Turn right (north) across from Warwick Lane. The entrance address is 3650 Maizeland Road.
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Green Mountain Falls hiking trail - Catamount
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