What to Do in Colorado Springs

I just spent a long weekend in Colorado Springs. The city is in a perfect location for exploring local natural landmarks. Here is what we did:

What to Do in Colorado Springs

Garden of the Gods

Take the shuttle from the main visitor’s center to the entrance. From here you can walk along the paths throughout the park. It is stunning! Once you walk through it, take the shuttle back to your car at the visitor’s center and then take the scenic drive through the park. It brings a whole different perspective! 3 miles into the drive you can see Balanced Rock. You can also stop at the Trading Post.

Cave of the Winds

Take a discovery or lantern cave tour. We took the discovery tour and got to walk through half a mile of cave rooms. It was very cool! The caves were first discovered by two kids on a hike. They went in with candles through a sinkhole and found a huge cave system.

You can also do the batapult, zipline, or terror-dactyl! We did the batapult – a 12,000 foot zipline over the canyon that reaches 40 mph. Highly recommend it!

Pikes Peak

This is a famous mountain in Colorado. There is a scenic road to the top (20 miles and a little over 14,000 feet elevation) that we took. Along the drive there are look out points that you should definitely stop at.

We got to the mountain around 9:30 am and left the mountain around 3 pm. Learn from our mistake and pack a lunch! I also recommend bringing plenty of water since the elevation can really impact how you feel. A good way to combat elevation sickness is to drink water and stay hydrated. Another thing I want to note is that the road is windy, narrow, has little to no shoulder or guard rails so be a confident driver and understand how to go into lower gear when coming down the mountain. At the base of the mountain they recommend having at least half a tank of gas since the elevation makes you burn through gas quicker.

Cliff Dwelling Museum