If you find yourself in Colorado Springs, definitely take the time to visit garden of the gods…read more This park is completely free to the public. If you know the specific trail you want to hike look for the closest parking lot to that, get there early and look for that parking lot number. If you want to experience the Park for the first time, my advice would be to take yourself over to the visitor center. There is a lot at the visitor center and there is one across the street that had ample parking. Parking is also free. You can then walk from the visitor center into the central Park area, we walked around for about 3.5 miles. It was a Saturday so it was quite busy. There were people repelling, you must have a license for this. The visitor center itself is very cool too, and has clean restrooms and a museum and café Make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen if it's a sunny day and bring your water bottle Definitely a unique part of the world you should take the time to see

A must to visit while in Colorado Springs. The visitor center is kid friendly and has lots of…read moreeducational fun facts for kids. We took a 45 min guided shuttle tour, which was a perfect amount of time for kids! Lots of trails, I will try next time

This was my favorite mineral spring in Manitou because of the sculpture, the interesting way we…read morefound it, and it just says "magic" to me. We only found 4 out of the 8 springs in town, but that's because we were walking around in snow and it was getting late. Prior to finding this spring (by accident) - This particular spring makes a high pitch noise that I mistook for birds screeching, so we walked over to investigate, and here it was! We also found the Shoshone Spring (not working), Cheyenne Spring and the Navajo Spring. All of these springs have their own stories. According to the Mineral Springs Foundation, this particular spring was named after Winfried Scott Stratton, who struck it rich with gold in the early 1900's. When he died he left his fortune of several millions of dollars to indigent children and the elderly. "On February 21, 1936, at a depth of 283 feet, sparkling soda water was struck flowing at 25 gallons per minute. Today, Stratton Spring stands as one of Manitou's iconic mineral spring assets along its downtown corridor, ensuring Winfield Scott Stratton's legacy. (from Mineral Springs Foundation webpage)" The water here is sparkling, but not as salty as the Cheyenne Spring. It had the mildest taste of all the springs in town and the sodium, potassium and calcium content here was less than all of the other springs.

You will find this natural spring right on the Manitou Springs strip near the traffic circle. It…read morenot only serves as a spring but is also has a nice sculpture on it. The bronze sculpture depicts a lady, known as "the maiden of the water", bending over. The statue is on a semicircular pedestal and under a semi-circular pergola. It is a very nice spring set-up and draws you to the spring. The statue, spring, and little plaza area that it is located could use a little TLC and is in need of some maintenance. It is still operational, but just needs some attention. The spring is named in honor of Winfield Scott Stratton, who became the region's first self-made millionaire in 1891, after discovering a huge payload of 1.3 million ounces of gold. In 1936 his Foundation drilled the Spring in his honor after his untimely death in 1902. The spring flows at about 25 gallons per minute and appeared to having air coming out with the water as evident from its hissing. It has a seltzer water taste, and this and water from the other springs are rumored to have healing properties. The water is an acquired taste, but drinkable. This is not a very long stop and is one of many springs in the area. This is something that you would probably just stumble across and not a destination. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance from here but I recommend combining a stop here with other activities like a visit to the tourist strip, with shops and restaurants, that it is located. The good news is that you can fill your water bottles here as well as look at a nice piece of street art. It is definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

We found only 4 of 8 springs in Manitou Springs on a snowy March afternoon on a Saturday: Shoshone…read moreSpring (not working), Cheyenne Spring, Stratton Spring (my favorite), and this curious oddity. We would have never found it if it wasn't for a woman who saw us at the Cheyenne Spring drinking the water out of Cheyenne and trying to bottle it to take home. She said, "you gotta try the water at the Navajo Spring, it tastes like spicy carbonated water". When I asked her where it was, she said "right there!" and pointed to Navajo Spring a few feet away from where we were standing. I don't think we would have found this place unless it was pointed out to us as it's in a curious location, housed in a building where Patsy's Candy and Gift shop sits. The water here didn't taste that spicy to me, maybe more saltier than the Cheyenne's, but it was definitely carbonated. The history of this spring is fascinating. I got some information from The Mineral Springs Foundation: it was popular in the 1870s and young boys were hired to dip cups into the spring to quench the thirst of travelers and tourists. Cups and ladles on chains were also fastened to lower into the springs so everyone could taste the carbonated waters. The water from Navajo Springs were incorporated into Manitou Ginger Champagne, Manitou table water and cola drinks and were shipped all across the country by the Manitou Mineral Water Company. I was so enamored by the fact that this historical spring sits right in the middle of a candy store (outside and accessible) and right next door to an old-fashioned penny arcade! Right below our feet we could see the spring rushing by through the wooden floor slats. Amazing. Here's to 154 years of good health! I hope the springs stick around for another 150 years or more!

Manitou Incline... Have a day!…read more This is an epic CO hike and *can be conquered by anyone with a little intestinal fortitude... It's virtually straight up (2200+ ft vertical) then 4 miles down, no filling stations, and no shade, but is an absolute blast of a hike. It takes about 1.5 hours up and about 2-3 hours down, depending on your individual fitness level. The best part are the summit views and if you go up another 200M and take the backside Barr Trail down, the views get even better. Make sure to bring tons of water, wear good hikers (there are lots of switchbacks on the way down), and put on sun screen because it's 90+ degrees with no shade on a normal CO summer day... Don't be "that guy" or "that girl" that shows up without any gear (there were a ton of those people out there, and it's completely mind boggling), because Vegas odds are 3/2 you'll be a casualty. My best advice is take a minimum of 3L of water (I took 4L and went through all them from top to bottom, granted I sweat like a Vegas hooker in a Catholic Church), take two "tough pills" before you start, and take it slow and steady up... #slowissmoothandsmoothisfast. Make it to the top, take some great mountain pics, enjoy the trek down, and go get a celebratory cold CO crafty at one of the cool bars in Manitou springs after words.

5/5 stars?? I know, I'd have said 0/5-do not recommend, but for this:…read more If you want a serious workout, this is for you. It's been on my bucket list for a wee bit, though I'm not sure exactly why--perhaps the grueling challenge this offers, if only to challenge myself. I had no time constraints, just get to the top and back down again. I did it! I was no record-setter by any means, and I'm okay with that. Did I "train?" No. Did I acclimatize myself (being a flatlander from Kansas), yes! I brought lots of water and electrolytes and of course SNACKS, because, hello!! It's a hike and all hikes need snacks; not to mention it's grueling and your body needs the fuel. I went up to the top the first time and down Barr Trail--that is no joke either. Switchbacks and seemingly "huge" step downs--it has its own "obstacles." The sun was shining full strength so it was toasty--doable as I had a sun hoodie on, but also a tad miserable. Second time, slightly over halfway with a friend, we walked down a hundred steps to the bailout at 1300. That was absolutely fabulous! Gorgeous scenery and that day was nice and cool and foggy! Loved it! Switchbacks too, but seemingly not as bad as what the Barr Trail has. People on this trail?? Well, they're exceptionally wonderful. Everyone--EVERYONE--was supportive, encouraging and kind. People from just about everywhere. Would I do it again? Yes. When the weather is foggy and cool. Would I want to go down the 1300 step bailout, yes. The transition of trail grades is easier than on Barr Trail IMHO, but going down the Incline is sketchy--people do it, but it's steep and the recommendation is to NOT do so. It was questionable as to whether a permit was needed. I signed up--self-proclaimed rule follower that I am--only to find no one was checking anything!! So, you do you. It might be a way to have the state of CO see how many people and from where and to sign a waiver, but otherwise no one checked. I parked at a paid lot and took a free shuttle to The Incline and back--I later found out via word of mouth that there is free parking at a park nearby where the bus stops. **As an aside, I learned the day before I was planning on going that this is no joke, people have died or have been injured on this trail--please take necessary precautions for your health and wellbeing.**

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!

The brunch is upscale, especially the mimosas. They were the best around. They have a nice variety…read moreand even though we were there on a busy Mother's Day, we got right in.

this is a fun little adventure. Historic waterfall park. It is seasonal so pay attention to that…read more It is worth the little hike very beautiful and peaceful. It is under a graditi bridge that is the only thing that takes away from nature but still very cool. There are also some little caves nearby just be careful can be slippery and bears and or people living in them

For me personally, this was a fun trip because we were able to enjoy nature and hike up the…read moremountain to the Falls since there weren't any parking spaces. HOWEVER, I noticed around lunch time spaces open up. So if you're wanting to plan it where you don't have to park in Manitou Springs then walk all the way up, go during lunch! My experience started rocky, pun intended. We arrive at 9:15 not knowing they didn't open until 10 and that's when we noticed there's hardly any parking spots inside that gate. My mom had already tried to visit 3 times before this most recent but didn't have time to wait for a spot to open, so she had to leave. Anyway, the Rainbow Falls attendant came out and told us to drive around until 10 and come back. Which we did. And when we came back, right at 10, every spot was taken as we knew would happen. It was frustrating at first. After we backed out, we decided to find a spot in town and just walk, mind you had a five year old with us and didn't know if she would be able to hang it there. It was also getting in the 90s, super hot. Thankfully, we all had brought water bottles so we were able to hike it. It really was a beautiful walk, at times there's weren't sidewalks so we had to walk in the road with traffic. There's also construction going on, a bit of a mess but we made the best of it and decided to soak in the nature! Once we reached the Falls, BEAUTIFUL!!! It was very cold and I would recommend wearing crocs or shoes you can walk in the water with, there's rocks that will hurt. For us, it was perfect since we were hiking up and down the mountain to get to/from our vehicle, so the water felt great and refreshing. We came on a Saturday right as they opened, perhaps during the week might be better, parking wise? If hiking sounds like your ideal thing, then DO ITTTT. Plan to pay for parking in town and take your time walking, it's worth it :)

I just want to update my already five star review now that I have gone through some of the…read moreinspection process. First of all, they STILL earn a high five stars for me. Yes it's a government agency and there are wait times when you go in to pay for your permit, get your plans reviewed/approved, etc. but if you are a homeowner trying to remodel anything or finish your basement, I have found that every single person in this office is incredibly helpful, including the inspectors. Not only are they friendly but they really take the time to ask if you have any questions as well as answer them. Kudos and thank you to all the employees at Regional! I admit, as a woman going down to ask a lot of questions about basement construction and code requirements, I was a nervous about how the experience would go. I was scammed by a contractor who wasn't a contractor and had a lot of questions to make sure that as we complete the rough in of the basement that things are up to code. I had to meet with four people to ask questions of each. Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and construction. All four of these guys were helpful, did not condescend to me, answered my questions and volunteered information they thought I needed to know. In particular, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Brett Phillips. I was really worried about having to draw my basement plan in order to get it approved. This would have taken me quite a long time and cause me quite a bit of stress as I am not an experienced in any of this kind of stuff. I knew they already had the blueprint for my house from the builder, but I had been told that the contractors needed to redraw it up anyway. He printed out the existing floor plan for my basement which had everything I needed on it. He made my day, week, YEAR much better coming off of a bad experience. Is the second time I've dealt with people in this office and I have found them all to be incredibly helpful and courteous. A high five star rating from me.

I had a very complicated remodel that involved a lot of engineering and back-and-forth. I cannot…read moresay enough about every single person at regional who contributed positively in the process of a very complicated situation. A lot of times when I was there, I really didn't know what I was doing and they guided me and pointed me in the right direction every time. Really great bunch of people. Very, very, patient group of people who have to deal with a public that is not always easy to deal with.