The trail was shaded for the most part and very beautiful. Average time for us was 2h 30 minutes…read morewith a baby in our hiking backpack. Saw a few cool caves!

This is my favorite go to trail for an off leash experience that is just a half hour outside of…read moreColorado Springs. Everyone in the trailers friendly, personable, and they're like me to enjoy the spectacular views and landscape. A must see for well behaved off leash dogs and their owners. It's just outside of Woodland Park.

This is the only trail within walking distance for those who live in the area. Be Kind to our…read moretrail. Beautiful views - makes living in a postcard that much more enjoyable. Bring water, snack and a jacket - the weather in Colorado Springs anytime of year can change rapidly. Don't forget to stay on the trail & pack your trash.

This Open Space is within walking distance for me, so I'm out here at least 3X/week. It provides a…read morenatural buffer between the neighborhoods to Powers Blvd and is enjoyable year-round (the address shown is wrong - see next para for access info). Great views of the city, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Black Forest, and the Eastern Plains from the top of the open space, which was re-modeled a few years ago to include a primitive resting area with a sign ID'ing mountains along the southern Front Range. The Open Space has 2 well-maintained dirt trails and easy access from various points (one from Stetson Hills Blvd, the other from Iron Horse Tr). It is moderately hilly and provides a good cardio workout if you're at least briskly walking. In a high-moisture year (ie, 2010), high prairie native grasses and colorful wildflowers abound such as Indian Paintbrush, Prickly Pear, Penstemon, Lupine, Bluebells, Sunflowers, Daisies, Globemallow, Spiderwort. This year the blossoms have held back, but the yucca and scrub oak are still doing ok. I've seen herds of mule deer on multiple occasions back here, which seem out-of-place given that this area is bordered by heavy-volume traffic. I've even seen a juvenile mountain lion that scared the bejeesus out of me (no, it wasn't a bobcat - I do know what that looks like!), foxes, coyotes (they are bigger than I thought up close and in person!). Rabbits are EVERYWHERE. I've watched an ant colony march away with grains of sand to rebuild their empire, and there are several large beetles that crawl along with their butts in the air. Not much in the way of biting insects, although I've had gnats fly into my eyes. Swallowtails and dragonflies also call this area home. Magpie, blue and scrub jays, robins, juncos, sparrows, broad-tailed hummingbirds, etc are all viewable here, including a Great Horned Owl that I've been privileged to run into three times! Most users are friendly locals out for some fresh air. I only see maybe 1-2 mountain bikers a day, and most are walkers in sneakers. My only complaint is in regards to those irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets to roam unleashed and off-trail. These dogs tear up the underbrush as they sniff around or chase rabbits, trample on vegetation, create erosion in more ways than one, and deposit waste where owners can't get to them. I've seen two dogs carrying away bloody rabbits. I've even been BITTEN in the leg near the top of the trail by an unleashed dog and had to visit the ER for some stitches (the owner acted sorry, but he still lets his other dogs run about unleashed in the area). Another owner even throws a ball INTO the bushes and off the trail for the dog, unimpeded, to chase after it. How can I convince these people to a) Go to the dog park if you don't want to restrain your pets, or b) Understand the damage they're doing to the trails off-leash? These parks and open spaces are for ALL to enjoy it, so I wished people abided by the RULES that are clearly posted at both ends of the trails! High Chaparral doesn't get 5* because it's in a high traffic area (Powers Blvd runs parallel to the trails) with lots of noise, including those from airplanes going in for a landing at the airport. The missing star is also because 80% of the dog-owners that use this space are either willfully ignorant or think they're special and don't control their dogs. How does a citizen even begin to approach this problem with so many rule-breakers? Anyway, enough of my ranting. I do enjoy this area and it has allowed me to become a better runner. Let's hope the city doesn't give this space up to be developed!

Took Barr Trail to the top of Manitou Incline and down. It was amazing hike, 3 miles up over 2,600…read moreelevation climb. Excellent views, plenty of shade, and a good challenge. We started at 7am (not early enough to avoid the hot summer sun). We packed water, electrolytes and trail mix, would suggest also some energy chews. Next time we'll take the incline challenge after some training. Bathroom at base/trailhead. Note there are different starts for the Incline and Barr Trail. Bring cash for parking.

Note 1: Be careful you don't end up on this trail instead of the Manitou Incline. They start in…read moredifferent locations and I hiked a half-mile before realizing I was in the wrong place and had missed my permitted Incline window. Note 2: A little bottle of water is a mistake. Be smart, especially on a warm day. I met too many people making this mistake and had to share some of mine. Heck, you're at altitude and ascending quickly! Note 3: I didn't seal my hiking pants with my Dirty Girl gaiters until after I'd been stung many times by a single wasp who managed to work her way into a pant leg. Apparently, wasps are common in the area. This is a terrific training hike if you're a non-local seeking ascents at altitude. 13.1 miles with 3,500'+ of climbing up to an altitude of 10,000'+. It's tough only for the untrained. Nothing compared to the Incline in terms of effort, but still worth the trip if you have time. Also, there are snacks in camp. And... you can snatch a free snack if you're willing to haul a super-light trash bag down to the trailhead. Heck, carry two--they weigh less than the weight of the water you drank on the way up.

Cheyenne Springs was one of the eight in town, and one of the four we found during our walk through…read morea snowy March after exploring the town on foot. This spring, as well as all of the other springs in Manitou Springs, have been here since the 1900's or even earlier than that. Only recently have these fancy sculptures have been installed to preserve and memorialize each spring and possibly to elevate them off the ground and protect them. The water here tasted like a mildly carbonated salty drink. I tried to bring some spring water home with me to Hawaii to make cocktails with but went over the weight-limit for baggage so I had to dump the water out. Too bad, because the water had a high mineral content and some umami to it. This particular spring has a high sodium (445 mg/L), calcium (437 mg/L) potassium (67.8 mg/L) and magnesium content (76.3 mg/L) with other minerals. The other spring we found were the Shoshone Spring (not working, unfortunately), the Navajo, and the Stratton Spring; each Spring has its own unique history.

This is another nice natural spring located right off of the busy Manitou Springs tourist district…read more There is metered street parking available and there are paid lots nearby. The spring is right in the middle of the sidewalk. You can bring your own container and get some water straight from the spring. It is easy to get to and get water from. Cheyenne Spring is a natural, sweet soda spring, from limestone aquifers a mile deep and believed to be 20,000 years old and comes from the melted snow from the nearby Pike's Peak. That being said, the water has a very "unique" taste and is an acquired taste. It has a distinct and strong carbonated mineral taste. I could only take a few sips of it and check that box off and then I had to dump it. his place is definitely worth a quick stop to check off the box. Be sure to visit the other 5 springs in the area that are said to all have thier own taste, but please meter your expectations

This is a fairly woodsy and natural national monument that preserves fossil beds and ancient tree…read moretrunks. Much of the area is open terrain, ponderosa forest and open vistas. Not exactly much quarry to look at, and no collecting of course. There is a place you can search for fossils up the road. There is a visitor center with some nice displays of the bug and plant fossils that have been found. I'm not sure if they were found in a different part of the park, or that's covered up? But you can't really find where the leaf fossils were taken from. The gift shop was nice and the staff very friendly and informative! We did the relatively short Big Stump Loop, about .5 miles and you see a half dozen big old Redwood stumps. I would recommend this trail over the longer one. We had fun and saw everything in about a hour, but you can stay longer and find out more to see. Glad this exists and it didn't become a golf course like they wanted to in the 60s.

Nice open space park. And it was super cool to see the petrified trees. The museum was also…read moreinformative and cool. Would definitely recommend.

This is a moderately trafficked trail in Manitou Springs that will bring you to some beautiful…read moreviews of the city and the Incline! The trail is somewhat short (unless I was missing something...), but it does hook up with other trails and apparently is part of the trails that circle Pikes Peak (cool! Adding that to my to-do list!) It's pretty steep in areas, so make sure that you bring plenty of water! I really enjoyed the hike on this trail, and it's a good alternative if you're not feeling up to Barr Trail or the Incline.

This trail starts in the Manitou Springs Cemetery, you will see a parking area and the trail head…read more This can be a tough hike only because it is up and down a lot of hills. The only reason this did not get 5 stars is because you end up walking through the neighborhood in order to get to the other part of the trail. The second part of the trail is amazing. You can see Garden of the Gods in a light you have never seen it before! You can also see the people walking up the incline on the other side! Also remember, you have to walk back to your car from the end of the trail! And as always, wear the proper shoes and bring water or Gatorade!

Super fun date. The guides made it super entertaining. (Ben & Maddy). Sometimes guides are…read morecondescending and snooty but these two were just focused on having fun and keeping us safe. Loved that. The equipment was all maintained and we felt safe the whole time. We'll be back with kids next time.

My husband and I went zip lining for the first time here on Monday. Nolan and Joe were really great…read moreguides and made sure we were safe and having fun! They made us laugh and helped us get used to the lines! Super great and fun place!! Ella was following us training and learning how to guide. She did well! Super sweet girl! Their camera broke after they took around 10 pictures, so I was a little bummed, but that's okay! It happens! I will be taking my family here again!

Another nice drive down to the lake. Windy and gusty which made it cooler than expected. Families…read moreenjoying lake side activities - paddle boarding, fishing, volleyball, pickleball and disc golf. Unfortunately there was an asshat today who was rude about us blocking his way. No excuse me I'm throwing in your direction but a head nods and then a 'you could move or I can throw it right at you.' Ok dude, we can't read your signals so use your words. May the wind take his disc and place it in the middle of the lake.

Palmer Lake is yet another marvelous Colorado locale. It offers what any overstimulated city brain…read moreneeds: quiet, crisp Colorado air and an abundance of trails. Wandering the paths past the esteemed Estemere is postcard perfect. Back at the lake, you stop mid-stride just to take in the reflection of the mountains on the water. It's a typical Colorado landscape - but in some places it would be the best thing in 1,000 miles! Sometimes the best antidote to city life is a simple trail and a beautiful lake.