I feel this route needs a solid review from someone who is mathematically, grammatically and…read morealpinistically (I just made that up), "inclined". First of all, this is probably the most beautiful yet somewhat challenging short hike in town. If you want a snapshot of the grandeur awaiting you beyond the I25 corridor (and cell phone range) this is it! Absolutely beautiful. The short: for the average person of moderate or lacking fitness level, it should absolutely be doable. I would say the normal person could knock it out in less than 4 hours (with picture/selfie taking along the way and up top). Decent fitness levels should be up and down in less than 2 hours... Don't bring the cat-dog looking micro mutt as you will either be carrying it or burying it somewhere about the first hour of hiking. There is water throughout the trail so regular dogs should have a blast here. There is an issue with dog poo littering the parking lot and trails (despite free poo bags being offered at trail head... This hike is no joke. Wear proper shoes with decent traction. You can get hurt here! I would bring at least a liter (Nalgene bottle) of water during hot days. Although covered with trees throughout, the sun will beat down on you throughout the hike. I only say this because I passed a family of 5 about half way with no water. As far as short local hikes go, Stanley Canyon gets a Five from me. Awesome!

This hike is not for the faint of heart. It's a pretty steep hike up and coming back down can be…read morevery difficult if you have bad knees or don't have excellent tread on your hiking boots. Scree for days! But it's a beautiful one and a great workout.

Wonderful place to take my dog to the dog park or just go for a walk in the tall pine trees. Very…read morepeaceful place. Never too crowded but also enough people around so you know civilization is close-by. Very pretty ponds with turtles. Nicely groomed walking trails all over. Clean restrooms too.

Love this place! There is a hidden stunning (lake) you'll…read morefind if you walk/hike up the park or if you drive up there to the parking lots in the forest behind these wonderful and spectacular ponds! The view really IS breath-taking! * It is the perfect LUNCH get-a-way * Chitchat hotspot * Dog-Walking Paradise * Picnic Area/Hub Or * Picture-Photography Scenery You'll encounter out/up there. It seems to be very family friendly with grilling zones, lots of benches to sit on and soccer/volleyball play grounds with restrooms at the bottom. A dream of A "Mecca"!

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!

This is by far my most favorite hike in Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs. It starts out on the old…read moreexit road for Cave of the Winds.....before it was washed out permanently. **ALERT** In order to do this trail you have to go up to the Cave of the Winds to sign a waiver!! There is no cost, but since part of the trail is on their property you have to sign the waiver. The trail is shaded for most of the trail. The begining is the hottest part! You will see water falls and punch bowls. The trail can be difficult in some areas, but nothing kids 5 and up can't handle! If you need directions how to get to this trail, just let me know and I can give you turn by turn with street names!

The trail has been kind of washed away, but if you push beyond that the interior of the cañon is…read morebreath taking. The best place around this hike is probably the steam that empties a few times along the trail; also, there is a big rock that overlooks the main trail where you can see everything if you can find out how to get to it.

We love this park! It's so different than where we usually go. Tons of tall pine trees so great for…read moreshade. Good sized, great for exploring and sniffing all the things. There are also benches throughout park plus some dog agility equipment. Important things: There are several trash cans throughout however, the poop bag containers are "bring some to share" meaning there may not be poop bags available all the time. Definitely bring your own. Several people bring bowls and water to share but I would recommend bringing your own. There is a separate small dog area too.

This is not a dog park. This is nature. Nature where your dog gets to roam free…read more Seriously blown away by this dog park. A true hidden gem in the Colorado Springs area. Took my little, crazy puppy there this weekend, and was blown away by all the trees and pathways you could take within the dog park (let alone the full park). As someone that loves to take her dog on long hikes in the middle of nowhere and allow him to run free (when no one is around and there are no leash laws), this park gave me the perfect place to take him when I can't drive a few hours for one of our solitude hikes but I still want him to run free in nature. All the dogs are great, and due to how big the park is, no dog showed signs of being territorial.

First time to do the main trail here. Props for having a nice facility with bathrooms. Of course,…read morethey're closed until 4/1, so the one porta potty would have to do. The trails themselves were nice, other than the frequent horse poop that had to be dodged. Also, a little odd that the surface changed frequently, from gravel to dirt, to a reddish sand. And of course, a few areas of mud and ice but not too bad. Points for a few trash cans, along with picnic tables and benches. Not the best hike in the world, but it was fine and relatively easy. And not a ton of views, other than a couple of glimpses of Pikes Peak and a bit of the front range.

Great park nearby and nice hiking trails! Love taking our dog on walks. Very peaceful!read more

I've lived here almost all my life and had never been here, only driven by it. Came here to take…read morefall pictures and it was packed with lots of people taking photos at around golden hour. The upper parking lot is very small! So be aware. I had to park in the adjacent neighborhood. There are lots of signs that say stay on the trail as they are trying to regrow the meadow. I definitely want to come back and explore more of the park. Looking at a map the trail is actually very long!!

Beautiful park off of Rockrimmon in Colorado Springs. There are two access points, which is…read moreconfusing, but I usually go to the Vindicator road parking lot. There are lots of wonderful trails here with different terrain that are great for walks, runs or mountain biking! Beautiful views of Pikes Peak with wild sunflowers in the summer. There are clean Porta potties at the parking lot and benches throughout the trails.

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.

Beautiful lake and surrounding area. We parked in the parking lot across from the lake across the…read morestreet from the Three Farm Girls and O'Malley's Steak Pub. The parking lot has two electric car charging stations. There's a pedestrian bridge to walk over to the lake area. It's so pretty to walk over and look at the views. The bridge was built so people didn't have to cross the train tracks to get to the lake. You can donate to the upkeep of the area by purchasing train designs - a caboose, locomotive, box car or a square on a box car through the Palmer Lake restoration project. These are so cute and memorable to read and admire as you cross the pedestrian bridge. We walked over and it's accessible for wheelchairs or strollers. Very handy to pull your younger kids along on a wagon. We watched people fishing and kayaking. Very peaceful with a couple of benches to sit at. Stop by on your drive.

I had a great hike at Dawson Butte Ranch the past Sunday (Oct 11, 2020) with my friend and highly…read morerecommend this place for a hike with your friends/family/pooch! This is a spacious place that only has a loop (about 5 miles all the way from the start to finish) so you will never get lost there. It's got some shades so despite the name you will be able to rest and catch some breath in a shaded area if you don't want to be in the sun. The trail is moderate and is mainly sandy which I liked; it's not too burdensome for your knees if you have knee problem. We also saw people with horses and donkeys so there should be some horse/donkey riding place where they offer such service (watch out for their droppings on the trail!) It also offers beautiful views of nearby buttes and you will be able to take great pictures there. Can't wait to go back there again!

Many parts of this hike are desolate & near the road. During this stretch no trees so it's HOT!…read moreMany people here with horses don't have to clean up after but if you have your dog you do!

Helen Hunt Falls is not something you simply stumble upon. City slickers have to earn it a bit…read more Nearly three miles into North Cheyenne Cañon, the road leaves the city behind. Houses disappear well before the entrance to its mouth or rocky gates west of Starsmore Nature Center. Red granite walls rise closer, pine and cedar lean over the pavement, temperatures drop as the canyon wraps you in cool embrace. Helen Hunt Falls sits within a city park, but it never really feels like one. North Cheyenne Cañon is its own character. Intimate. Shaded. Winding. While the city feels far away, beware the tight hairpin curves and oncoming vehicles. In its own way, it is unique like South Cheyenne Cañon, home to the dramatic Seven Falls. Where Seven Falls dazzles with height and dramatics, this canyon offers its own closeness to stone, forest, and water. It is a place where the road slows, voices soften, and the canyon quietly reminds you how close wilderness can be to a city.

Super amazing quick little hike that you can drive up to near manitou springs with a good amount of…read morefree parking. The views from on top and bellow are spectacular and this is definitely meant for all ages. The twisty roads might be a little challenging for some drivers but it is definitely worth the drive if you can make it here!