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 tour company offers many different tours. We chose it because it seemed like the best choice…read morefor us to visit Pike's Peak. It was around $90 per person for a three and a half hour town. We went in early September. We arrived at the location, which offers street parking. You check in, sign your waivers inside. On the outside, there is a cute yard set up with checkers to play and places to sit and enjoy before the ride. We went in a Jeep Wrangler for the tour with a couple. There were four people and the tour guide, Jerry. Water was provided, and you could drink however many bottles of water you wanted. I kept drinking because I feared altitude sickness. It didn't happen. Jerry stopped at gorgeous sites along the way, and we got out to stretch out legs at several sites, and for picture opportunities. Jerry was a great photographer and offered many times to take our photo and was so good at it! Many memorable photos were captured because of Jerry. He was a great conversationalist, grew up in Manitou Springs all of his life, and provided so many great restaurant recommendations. Definitely ask Jerry about places to eat, because he has great taste. Jerry also was very knowledgeable and I felt completely safe in the Jeep at all times, even with the white knuckled hair pin turns and my fear of heights and dropping off the side of the cliff. At the top of Pike's Peak the tour provides you with a doughnut, which was good. As an added bonus, Jerry took us to one of the natural springs in Manitou to try it out. Book this tour. This is a great company, and ask for Jerry. He is your man and very experienced. Also, it is totally worth the money because I could not imagine driving those turns.

This was such an amazing way to go up to the top of Pikes Peak. Our guide was really awesome and…read moresuper knowledgable about everything. It was so nice to be able to take in all of the views without worrying about falling off of a cliff while driving yourself. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially if you are new to town or visiting. We may or may not have seen Big Foot and there were donuts. You can't go wrong with donuts.

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

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.

Nice place for Incline souvenir stickers, fridge magnets and shirts. cool designs with decent…read moreprices. They also offer food, coffee and drinks

Where would you get that bottle of thirst quenching drink when you are totally needing it after the…read moreincline hike? you guessed it right. this is the place to get the coldest drink at this part of the town, use the restroom where you don't have to see the things floating from previous user. better yet, grab some attire or souvenirs to remember your grueling hike up to the top. got ice creams too!

Nice Place to stay for a few nights... We stayed for a month. This is an awesome place to camp and…read morewhile there are a couple of issues that might bother some campers, they really didn't bother us. It is sometimes noisy, trains and planes mostly, but for us it really didn't take much away from the beauty of this park. I would stay here again in a second. This is one of the better FamCamps in the system. Customer service is excellent. Pea-gravel sites are long and have decent space between them, especially on the patio side, with a metal picnic table and BBQ grill. Some are not satellite friendly unless you have a portable dish antenna, something I had to do, but it wasn't a big deal since we are usually prepared for any shortcomings a park might have. The water pressure is very high so make sure you bring a regulator. I measured 90 pounds when I hooked up. That's enough to blow a weak connection. The electricity was great and we never had a failure. The sewer hookup was good and they have a free dump station if you need it. Don't let the noise bother you as its a minor thing really. If you go for walks or bike rides you'll most likely see some wild life. There are places to fish and the views are great.

Trains, planes, automobiles, sirens, awwwww.....the great outdoors. Flat and neat tent sites, the…read moresmell of pine trees, and clean bathrooms with hot showers though so I gave it three stars for that.

We took this ride at the same time last year. It was so enjoyable we booked it again this year…read more Greeted by Tini the owner is a great way to start the day she has the coffee, rolls, yogurt and fruit ready for you. Shawn and Harvey were our guides and they were most excellent! From the guides local knowledge to the stories of Pikes Peak history we couldn't have had a better time. The leaves were starting to change which enhanced the beauty of the mountainside. The 4 of us were below average in biking experience. The guys fitted our bikes, helmets gave us a quick safety briefing and provided gloves, caps and vests for us to wear. It is clear they have been in the touring business for years as Every detail is taken care of for their clients. Next time we are going on the Gold Camp Road tour. Thanks for ending the ride with lunch and a glass of wine!!

Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had at Challenge Unlimited. The experience of…read morebiking down Pines Peak is absolutely worth the money. From the top: Challenge Unlimited served a pretty decent breakfast. You read "continental breakfast" and think some crappy day old baked goods and bad coffee. Not in here... Bagels, different cream cheese, fresh bananas, regular coffee and keurig coffees, plus more. The staff is friendly and willing to accommodate the ride based on the skill level of the group. When going down hill there were a few of us who liked speed and the front can was definitely going fast so we could go faster. You make several stops along the way to take pics, relax, and catch your breath. In the end, you ride down to The Wines of Colorado where you have some basic lunch. Had an absolute blast! I highly recommend it to anyone.