I am planning a vacation to Colaroado Springs at the end of June. I'll be based out of Peterson Air Force base. I am not adverse to doing a little camping or hiking either if it was awesome but looking at day excursions. I might take a motorcycle ( either a big adventure or a XL 350 dual sport) with as well. It will be me, the friend that's a girl and her two teenagers 16/17. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Walk around Manitou Springs & spend some time at the arcade.

Tour the Mollie Kathleen Gold mine in Cripple Creek.

Pike's Peak, obviously.

-Rob

USAFA

Man I have no idea what to do but the time I spent in the springs a few years ago was awesome. Such a beautiful place. Just about perfect.

I found it funny how the "bottom" end of town (B street anyone) had Ft. Carson, and the "top" end had the Air Force Academy. The fly boys get all the nice stuff

The only reason I wouldn't retire out there is that there is no ocean. Pueblo reservoir doesn't count.

Drive down to the Royal Gorge bridge & park outside of Canon City. It's about an hour south and west of Colorado Springs. Went there when I was a kid and had a blast. Granted that was 30 something years ago, but...

Really it is a neat place to see and if you have kids even better.

Eta: They had a fire that burned 3000+ acres in 2013. So the photos I just looked at are not nearly as forested up as I remember. Still a neat place with awesome views.

Last fall, Wife and I took the Cog Railway to top of Pikes Peak. Then we spent time in Manitou Springs with a tour of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.

Both were well worth the price of admission.

If you like go karts check out Overdrive speedway. FUN

quote:

Originally posted by sig226fan:
Drive down to the Royal Gorge bridge & park outside of Canon City. It's about an hour south and west of Colorado Springs. Went there when I was a kid and had a blast. Granted that was 30 something years ago, but...

Really it is a neat place to see and if you have kids even better.

Eta: They had a fire that burned 3000+ acres in 2013. So the photos I just looked at are not nearly as forested up as I remember. Still a neat place with awesome views.

Royal Gorge is still an awesome place to see, and everything is back up and running except for the train thing that ran from the visitors center to the bottom of the gorge. For whatever reason, they don't seem to be interested in rebuilding that.

We had a great time there when we visited my sister out there a couple of years ago. I should have mentioned that in my post.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is pretty nice for a small zoo.

If you want an impressive and incredibly unique walk / light hike, check out the paint mines.

-Rob

Add Garden of the Gods

Lots of great hiking. I was at Ft Carson for a couple of months in the early 00's. There are a couple of good short trails near the AF acamdemy. We took the Barr trail up to Pikes Peak and that was awesome. I was sucking wind though, as I was not acclimated yet. IIRC, there are something like a dozen+ 14k-ish ft mountains to hike close by.

Cripple Creek and Victor area is interesting and a nice day trip. Lots of other nature stuff, hiking, climbing etc.
Sand Dunes National Park is pretty cool too.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/w..._Sand_Dunes_NP_1.JPG

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 220-9er,

Go up Pikes Peak, visit the Broadmoor,the falls.

Eat lunch here...

http://solosrestaurant.com

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

quote:

Originally posted by scratchy:
Add Garden of the Gods

Yup.

+ 1 for Barr Trail, Cheyenne Mtn Zoo (LOTS of walking up and down, as it is set into the foothills), Royal Gorge, the Royal Gorge RR, and Pikes Peak.

I have driven up Pikes Peak and taken the tram each several times; I MUCH prefer the drive. The tram ride is great on the way up, as the tour guide points out a lot of great stuff. However, at the top, you only have about 1/2 hr to sight see. We would have to split up - one would go to the bathroom as the other got the donuts (special high altitude recipe that only works at 14,000 feet), then we would rush to look at souvenirs, and get a pic at the Pikes Peak sign. IMO, it's not enough time. And, the ride back is sort of boring, as there is no narration and we've seen it before. Driving lets you go at your own pace. There are also 2 or 3 gift shops to spend time at, get munchies, and stretch your legs. Then, at the top, you can spend as much time as you want. My wife prefers the tram (I think this has to do with her mistrust of my driving ); I prefer driving. Just be careful on the way down so you don't over-heat your brakes.

USAFA is beautiful, and there are some great trails nearby.

+1 on the Manitou Springs arcade - I will spend a couple dollars playing the original Donkey Kong, Galaga, Rampage, Gorf, etc etc etc. It's also a nice place to go touristing.

7 Falls is nice, though I haven't been there for awhile. Garden of the Gods is amazing; you can drive through, take walking trails, and they have a great gift shop. I have very vivid memories of the place when I visited back in 1976; it's still a place I take all our visitors.


Oh, and if you like wolves, check this place out (it's in Divide, on the far side of Pikes Peak): Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center . For a fee, you can even go in and pet some wolves - must have reservations for this and the standard tour, so call ahead.

Drink LOTS of water or you will get dehydration headaches. Also, the altitude will kick your butt until you are used to it.

Oh, Peterson has a really nice museum. All their stuff has to do with Air Defense/Norad, so they have interceptors, missiles, and some local stuff.

Also, since I assume you have a govt ID, check out the Stanley Canyon Trail. It's accessible from USAFA, but only if you have an ID card. You park near the USAFA clinic and hike UPHILL to a beautiful reservoir. It will kick your butt (your calf muscles will hate you for it), but it's a great hike with a fantastic view. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hrs to make the hike, but you can, of course, turn around anytime you like. It's somewhat extreme - you have to scramble over rocks at times, and it is NOT 'handicap friendly.'

For extra credit, you can go swimming in the reservoir. I did it once, and once only. It's COLD (mountain stream-fed and it's at 10,000 ft altitude. . . ).

If you want more info, I can give you detailed directions.

Royal Gorge and Garden of the Gods are beautiful.

There is a whole area of off road bike trails (Rampart Range, NP area, marked with difficulty like ski runs) just outside the Springs up in Woodland Park which is a nice little mountain town.

Fix a picnic lunch. Go to Woodland Park, turn right and go to Deckers, soak your feet in the chilly South Platte River while you eat your bologna sandwich and hard boiled egg. Then take a nap in the shade of a tall pine tree.

I haven't been to CS as an adult, but it's on my bucket list to do. I have always thought that the Olympic training center tour would be cool. Am I correct?