This is a nice trail that is well paved and offers scenic views through the majority of its area…read more The trail runs along a baseball field, a soccer field, the Garden of the Gods Trailer Park, some houses and a major road (US 24). There is also Fountain Creek that runs along a large portion of it as well. I saw some seating along the trail route too which was very nice. The trail is wide and full paved, suitable for runners, walker, joggers and bicyclists. It is used primarily as a connector trail, connecting Manitou Springs to the City of Colorado Springs at the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. It also feeds into the Pikes Peak Greenway, American the Beautiful Park, Olympic Museum, the Foothills Trail, and Red Rock Canyon Open Space. It is maintained by the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services The park can be accessed from a few spots including American the Beautiful Park, the west end at Manitou Springs Skate Park, and Fields Park. There is free parking available at these parks and the trail can be accessed from other spots as well, including Red Rock Canyon Open Space, even though it may be a bit of a walk to get thee. The trail runs 8 miles and cross the street in a couple of points. Their website claims that the trail is known for having alternatively housed individuals on it. I was out on the trail early in the morning and was the only person in sight on it. I enjoyed my time on the trail. It is an easy trail to navigate. It is in excellent shape, pretty level, and scenic. I felt safe while on the trail. If you are in search of a trail while in Manitou or Colorado Springs, this is one to consider.

We loved our hike to st marys falls. St Marys is a moderate hike around 6.5 miles and 1394 feet of…read moreelevation gain. The main road to the falls parking lot is closed and you have to take gold camp road over. This is around 3 miles of dirt. Its narrow with some pot holes and also 2 tunnels you will need to go through. A lot of the road is very narrow and really only wide enough for just one car. So be prepared for a little bit of a hairy ride. it will be the 2nd parking lot on your right. There is a fairly large parking lot, however it fills up quickly especially on a weekend. If you want to do this you will want to arrive sooner rather than later. Dogs are allowed but are supposed to be on a leash. The parking lot for saint marys is the same as for some other trails over there, seven bridges and silver cascades being 2 of them. You will have to walk around 1 1/4 miles up a dirt road until you get to the trailhead. The trail follows a creek most of the trail. It is rocky and at times a little slick with the loose rock. It is beautiful, surrounded by forest. It was very magical and lovely. it felt so nice to be out in the woods. Mountain bikes and motorcycles are also allowed to use this trail. We did not see any motorcycles but there were a few mountain bikers. And they dont necessarily signal so well beware. There is a trash can at the trail head. Be sure to PACK out what you pack in! My friend and i were picking up garbage that people had left along the trail :( There is no reason to leave your garbage. Please take it with you.

Inadvertently found this trail while looking for a different place to hike with the pup, who is…read moreyoung and just learning how to be a good off leash hiking dog. I'm not 100% certain, but I think that you are allowed to take your dogs off leash on this trail. I certainly never saw any signs stating otherwise and out of maybe 10 dogs we saw, half were on leash and a half off. It was a beautiful hike however we were not prepared and did not have water or maybe a hiking stick for me, at least. The beginning part of the trail is a wide open fire lane, but once you get back there it's a trail with a gradual uphill climb the entire way that turns even steeper towards the end. I was definitely asking "how much longer" for the last half-hour and really regretting that I didn't have water with me as my sensitive back started to ache. On our way down as we passed other hikers, they were asking the same question about "how much longer". The gradual uphill climb the entire way can be a little much if you're not prepared for it and the journey back down to the car is much quicker since it's basically downhill the whole way. Took half the time to get down than it did to get up. The waterfall and stream were beautiful and soothing. Walking with shady tree cover much of the way and a stream next to us was a plus for the pup to get his first experience of playing in a stream. The pup definitely enjoyed himself most of all. We took this hike in early June and on our way back we got hit with a rainstorm that dropped the temperature about 20° and we were freezing and poured on by the time we got back to the car, so be prepared when coming here in the summertime!

I liked this hike! It took me about 30-40 minutes to get up, with some stops along the way for…read morepictures. The road was paved nicely. There are cool white structures you can climb on as you approach the main pulpit rock.

I've passed by this spot for ages and always thought about hiking to the summit. I finally made it…read morehappen! Parking is a breeze and right at the trailhead. There are tons of signs to guide you all the way up. This hike is really easy, making it perfect for families. The views from the top are amazing! You can see the entire west side of Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods, USAFA, and Pikes Peak. It took me around 45 minutes to reach the top from the parking area.

Aww bummer! One of the bridges had a blowdown so we only crossed six; it's okay though, it's still…read moreas lovely as I recalled from a previous trip! I took a LEGO mini me, but sadly my not-so-nimble fingers had her never to be seen again. (Sorry about the leave no trace principle!) Everything about this place is amazing! My friend and I follow YouTuber Miranda Goes Outside, so as to pay homage to her, we chanted "Bridge, bridge, bridge, bridge bridge," as we made our way across going out and coming back. We even had our resident hiker friend join us on a couple. lol Seriously, it's a great space and always want to go. Being in Nature is refreshing.

My son and I hiked Seven Bridges trail on Easter morning. This is a very gentle out and back that…read moremost any ability can tackle with complete ease. The hike itself was absolutely stunning Sunday morning. The weather had shaped up nicely and while it was covered with snow, it didn't require crampons (I went in trail runners). As snow melted and fell from the pines, it felt like a magical playground. The bridges are all very close to each other, the water rushing along side most of this hike made for the most tranquil morning. I can't imagine this trail being anymore beautiful than it was this past weekend. I've seen glimpses of it in the summer from videos of trail runs and while it's gorgeous then I am so grateful to have experienced it covered in a layer of snow, icicles hanging, sun shining and simply splendid from the moment we parked the car at the trailhead. Highly recommend!

I wanted some vibes like Garden of the gods but did not want the crowds so I checked out Red Rock…read moreCanyon Open Space! I was really impressed with this open space. Parking was easy, they had plenty of spots while I was visiting. They've got something for everyone! Hiking trails, bike park/paths, rock climbing (permit needed), an off leash dog park. I specifically went for the hiking trails. They were great for my 4 year old. When I go with him I try to look for trails under 3 miles. My only complaint is I wish they had real bathrooms by the parking lot. The porta potty was pretty gross. P.s. you can see garden of the gods from this park! They are pretty close to each other!

Colorado is the healthiest state in the US (this is fact, you can look this up on the CDC website)…read moreand I can see why. With such amazing hiking available, that is free to residents and visitors, all over the state, it encourages you to get outside and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. Red Rock Canyon Open Space has a series of canyons and ridges sculpted by erosion of the area's uplifted rock strata. The ridges and canyons offer beautiful views that are photo worthy for those wanting to post to their social media (or hey, just keeping these photo keepsakes in your own camera roll is also fine too). Red Rock Canyon Open Space is dog friendly, with some off leash areas (where noted), and 11 trails that you can hike. The trails are anywhere from 1.7 miles to 5.4 miles, with a lot of pretty easy trails for those that are not as active but still want to partake in the journey. You can also see views of Garden of the Gods, which is nearby. Red Rock Canyon Open Space is not nearly as busy as Garden of the Gods (but highly recommend a visit there too, which is also dog friendly). From May 1 and Oct. 31, you can enter Red Rock Canyon Open Space between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.; during the rest of the year, the park closes at 9 p.m. There is free parking available and also one porta potty at the beginning of the trail (but I did not use it) and also trash cans (I did not see trash cans anywhere else in this open space). My husband and I visited Red Rock Canyon Open Space with our little girl dog. We came on a Sunday afternoon, a little after 1 pm. It was an overcast day, which was nice. But it was rather busy but not crowded. We were able to find a parking spot without any trouble. We only did 2 light trails but enjoyed the views. The trails we had were pretty easy for the most part. We also did see a handful of dogs during our visit. Please note that there is hardly any shade so make sure you plan accordingly (hat to shade your face, plenty of water, etc).

Palmer Park is a beautiful scenic place, with incredible views however, use it your own risk and…read morekeep your wits about you. I have had my car vandalized here and there are sketchy people hanging out here, at times. I stopped going to this park two years ago because of the increasing popularity with both regular people who don't clean up after their pets, but worse, less than desirable people that make me question my safety.

I love Palmer Park! It's in the middle of the city and…read moredoesn't even feel like you are haha! Lots of trails for all levels! We completed two easy trails today and had a blast. This park is Mountain bike, dog, and horse friendly. Highly recommend visiting ^.^

The 3-4 mile dirt gravel road is awful. Not a road for normal car. The trail we tried was good but…read moreno signs anywhere. Do not recommend until they improve the access road.

Hidden gem with little traffic! This is a moderate hike with elevation gain of approximately 2000'…read moreover the course of 1.6 miles. There are some areas of loose dirt and rock that make coming down a little tricky, but not super intimidating. The majority of this trail is in the woods and in turn it is shaded. There are multiple trail heads. The one marked on the map is the farthest you can drive to shorten the hike to get to the top. You continue on the road after it turns to dirt. Then on the right is Red Rocks Rd and a gate (that is open) if you were to continue on Mt Herman rd. Turn right and the lot and trailhead are right there. The climb is well worth it. You know you've reached the top when you get to the windsock. You can walk all around the peak and get 360 views of the area. When we climbed there was smoke from the fires, so the view wasn't super clear. I imagine on a clear day that you can see far and get awesome views. We would definitely do this again. Especially because it's fairly short with a big reward. We only passed 3 groups of people too. So this really isn't super busy.

I live close to the Rock Island Trail so it's pretty convenient for me to traipse on over and run,…read morebike or walk. The Rock Island Trail is rather flat and begins to the east at Powers Blvd , runs west and ends at Weber Ave. Several streets are crossed on your journey along the trail including Academy, which is sort of crappy. I hate crossing Academy. A great idea would be to create an underpass for the trail under Academy just like the one which goes under Circle. At the point that the trail crosses Paseo St, it seems to turn into an alley for a bit, so take heed that you may need to share the thoroughfare with motorized vehicles. Overall, the path is fairly flat the entire length and is paved the entire way. From searches on the internet, the length of the trail is stated anywhere from 3 miles to 5.8 miles. There are a handful of other bike trails that break off from or are connected by the Rock Island Trail. Namely, the Pikes Peak Greenway which begins at the Air Force Academy, Shooks Run and Homestead Trail.

It's a good trail for a quick, light workout. I tried it once on a road bike but really the trail…read moregets rougher as you go so its more for mountain biking. Not the best trail in the Springs but still convenient. Its pretty flat and safe.