Denver gets the flights and the breweries. An hour south, Colorado Springs sits at the foot of a 4,302-metre mountain with a free park full of 90-metre red sandstone fins at its edge, and it’s cheaper in every respect.
If you want the Rockies without the Denver-to-Vail traffic, this is where to point yourself.
Garden of the Gods is free and it shouldn’t be
Vertical slabs of red sandstone, tilted almost upright by the same uplift that built the Rockies, standing in open grassland with Pikes Peak behind them.
It was given to the city in 1909 by the children of Charles Elliott Perkins, on the condition it remain free to the public forever. It still is. No entry fee, no parking fee.
The Perkins Central Garden Trail is 2.4km, paved, flat and takes you between the biggest formations. Do that first. The Siamese Twins trail is a short loop with the classic framed view of Pikes Peak through a rock arch.
Go at sunrise. The rock is genuinely red rather than orange in that light, the car park is empty, and by 10am in summer it isn’t.
Pikes Peak, three ways
The mountain that inspired “America the Beautiful” — Katharine Lee Bates wrote it after going up in 1893.
The Cog Railway is the easiest. Rebuilt and reopened in 2021, it climbs from Manitou Springs to the 4,302-metre summit in about 70 minutes. Around $60 to $70 return, and it books out weeks ahead in summer.
The Pikes Peak Highway is 19 miles of paved road to the top, about $18 per person. No guardrails in places and a genuine descent-brake problem — they check brake temperature on the way down and make you pull over to cool.
Barr Trail on foot is 21km one way with 2,300 metres of ascent. That’s a serious mountain day and most people who attempt it underestimate it badly.
The summit visitor centre sells doughnuts made to a recipe adjusted for altitude, which sounds like a gimmick and is genuinely good.
Altitude warning: going from 1,800 metres in town to 4,302 in 70 minutes affects a lot of people. Drink water, don’t drink alcohol beforehand, and come straight down if you feel bad.
Manitou Springs is the quirky bit
A small town at the base of Pikes Peak, full of mineral springs, art shops and a general slightly-eccentric atmosphere.
There are eight or so free public mineral springs around town, each tasting different. There’s a walking map; bring a bottle. Some are pleasant and some are dreadful, which is half the fun.
The Manitou Incline is the local rite of passage — an old funicular railbed converted to a staircase of about 2,700 railway ties climbing 600 metres in under a mile. It’s brutal, it’s free, and it requires a reservation. Serious fitness only.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings — worth knowing what this is. The structures are authentic Ancestral Puebloan stonework, but they were relocated here from southwest Colorado in the early 1900s. It’s not an original site. Mesa Verde, four hours west, is.
▶ Watch This Before You Go
The other things worth a half day
Royal Gorge Bridge — an hour southwest near Cañon City, suspended 291 metres above the Arkansas River. One of the highest bridges in America and you can walk across it. There’s a gondola and a zip line if you want to make it worse for yourself.
United States Air Force Academy — the Cadet Chapel with its seventeen aluminium spires is a landmark of modernist architecture. It has been under major restoration for years, so check status before going.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo — the highest-altitude zoo in America, built into a mountainside, and you hand-feed the giraffes.
Seven Falls and North Cheyenne Cañon Park for waterfalls and hiking close to town.
Cripple Creek — an hour west, an old gold rush town now full of small casinos, with a mine tour that goes 300 metres underground.
Where it fits
Colorado Springs pairs naturally with:
- Denver — 1 hour 15 north.
- Great Sand Dunes National Park — 2 hours 45 southwest, and the tallest dunes in North America sitting against snow-capped peaks. Genuinely surreal.
- Rocky Mountain National Park — about 3 hours north.
- Mesa Verde — about 6 hours southwest, for the real cliff dwellings.
Practical bits
Colorado Springs has its own airport with limited routes; Denver is 1 hour 15 and much cheaper to fly into.
You need a car. Public transport is minimal.
Three days covers the area well: one for Garden of the Gods and Manitou, one for Pikes Peak, one for Royal Gorge or the zoo and canyons.
Altitude is the thing to respect. The town sits at about 1,840 metres, higher than most European ski resorts. Take the first day easy, drink far more water than usual, and go gently on alcohol.
Best time: June to September for everything open, September for the aspens turning gold. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, so do the summit in the morning. Winter is cold and clear and the Pikes Peak Highway often closes near the top.
FAQ
Is Garden of the Gods really free? Yes, entry and parking. Only the guided tours and the visitor centre film cost anything.
Cog railway or drive up Pikes Peak? The train if you want to relax and not think about brakes. Drive if you want to stop where you like.
How hard is the Manitou Incline? Very. It’s a stair climb at altitude with an average gradient around 45%. Not a casual outing.
Better base than Denver? For the southern Front Range, yes — cheaper hotels and closer to the mountains.
Good with kids? Very. The zoo, the cog railway and the flat trail at Garden of the Gods all work.
How long at Garden of the Gods? Two hours for the main trail, half a day if you’re walking more of it.
