Garden of the Gods Park - #1 rated park in Colorado Springs by TripAdvisor with paved and gravel trails through magnificent red rock formations. Free admission & handicap accessible.

Best For: Spectacular Views

Local's Tip: This park can get busy, especially during the summer months. Get up early if you want to enjoy the park without the crowds. Besides, a sunrise viewed from Garden of the Gods Park is simply breathtaking. 

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Cheyenne Mountain State Park – Located 4 miles south of the resort on 2,700 acres, it has over 20 miles of hiking and biking, on-site restrooms, picnics areas, and a playground. Entrance fee; dogs not allowed on trails.

Best For: Family Friendly Trails

Local's Tip: The Sundance Trail is an easy 3.25 mile loop that leaves from the Limekiln Trailhead Parking Lot, which has parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. 

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North Cheyenne Canyon – Located 4 miles west of the resort with a variety of trails – popular among road and mountain bikers and features Helen Hunt Falls. Free admission.

Best For: Hiking Where The Locals Go

Local's Tips:

• To see the waterfalls, take the Silver Cascade Trail which offers a short hike through the forest and follows a stream.
• To catch a glimpse of Seven Falls, take the Cutler Trail.
• To walk through the old mining tunnels, hike down the dirt road at the top of the Canyon - Gold Camp Road. 

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Manitou Incline Trail – The ultimate workout with a 2,000 ft. vertical gain in less than 1 mile. Free Admission, but parking close to the trailhead can be pricey.

Best For: Working Up A Sweat

Local's Tips: 

• Park in one of the free parking lots outside of downtown Manitou Springs and then take their free shuttle up to the trailhead.
• Bring lots of water.
• For those who want a more mellow descent, take the 4 mile long Barr Trail back down to the bottom - it'll drop you off in the same place that you started. The Barr Trail is not well marked at the top of the Incline, so just ask one of the locals where it starts. 

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Bear Creek Regional Park – 575 acres, including a garden, pavilion, playground, tennis courts, archery range, horseshoe pit, volleyball court, miles of gravel hiking trails, and one of the state’s best dog parks.

Best For: Bringing The Dog Along

Local's Tip: The entrance to Bear Creek's 25-acre off-leash dog park is located off of Cresta Road. This dog park provides great amenities such as a creek, a small-dog fenced area, agility course, and restrooms. 

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The Barr Trail – 7,900 ft. of vertical gain over 12-miles, from Manitou Springs to the 14,115 ft. summit of Pikes Peak.

Best For: Summiting a '14er

Local's Tips:

• The whole trail is really only accessible during the summer months, when most of the snow has melted at the top. Even though it may be warm at the base, bring layers! The summit is often 20-30 degrees cooler than the bottom. 
• As with summiting any mountain, you'll want to get an early start - thunderstorms start to roll in during the mid-afternoon and you'll want to be off the top of the mountain by then. 
• Bring lots of water, plenty of calorie-dense foods, and know your limits.

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The Paint Mines Interpretive Park – 30 miles east of Colorado Springs, featuring chasms, spires, hoodoos, and sculpted walls carved out of brightly colored clay deposits – layers of snowy white, golden yellow, rose pink and purplish mauve. Native Americans used the deposits for paints and pottery, and settlers later mined the clay to make bricks.

Best For: Discovering A Well Kept Secret

Local's Tip: Make sure you have good directions because you cannot see the park very well from the road - the rock formations are sunk down into the hillside out on the prairie. You can't even see the rock formations from the park's parking lot!

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The Vindicator Trail – 2 mile loop just outside of historic mining towns Cripple Creek and Victor, a 45-minute drive west of Colorado Springs.

Best For: Learning Some History

Local's Tip: Cripple Creek and its surrounding area make for an excellent day trip from Colorado Springs. This is one of the best places to view our golden aspen trees during the Fall season too!

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Red Rocks Open Space – Located just south of the Garden of the Gods across Highway 24, featuring a variety of trails along canyons and ridges of red rock with a great view of the city and Garden of the Gods. Many trails connect to other hiking areas, and there are 2 off-leash dog loops and a free-ride bike park.

Best For: Red Rock Formations Without the Crowds

Local's Tip: The Quarry Pass Trail and Cordell Trail get you up onto the rocks and hillsides and offer some of the best views of the park. 

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Where to rent Mountain Bikes and Road Bikes:

Criterium Bicycles Team Telecycle Ted's Bicycles

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Red Rocks Open Space – Variety of terrain on gravel, sand, hard-packed dirt, and rocks

Best For: Spectacular Views

Local's Tips: The Roundup Trail offers a variety of terrain and technical challenges as it traverses across the top of the park. The Cordell Trail takes you up onto the backbone of one of the ridges and offers great views of the city.

Trail Map

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Captain Jack's Downhill & The Chutes – Two separate trails linked together in a wide, fast track

Best For: Downhill Fun

Local's Tip: For a good workout (and one long downhill back to the car) park in Stratton Open Space, ride up The Chutes, up Gold Camp Road, then ride the short but steep High Drive up to the trailhead of Captain Jack's. You'll then be in for nothing but sweet downhill, all the way back to the car!

Trail Map

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Palmer Park – 730-acre park with a variety of terrain for all levels and each trail marked for ease

Best For: Working on Your Technical Skills

Local's Tip: Although the main trails are well marked with posts, the park has many secondary trails that criss-cross everywhere and are not clearly identified. It's easy to get turned around, so either bring a map, or a local with you!

Trail Map

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Cheyenne Mountain State Park – Over 20 miles of wide trails over 2,700-acres. Entry fee required, no dogs allowed on trails

Best For: Beginners

Local's Tip: The trails near the bottom of the park (down in the valley) and on the North side are the easiest. Beginners should try Sundance, Bobcat Way or Soaring Kestral. More advanced riders will enjoy the climbs that the Talon trails offer. If you want to practice your technical skills, the rocky Boulder Run and Cougar's Shadow trails will give you plenty of practice. 

Trail Map

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The Falcon Loop at the Air Force Academy – 12 mile loop trail with good climbs, technical spots, fast flowly downhill, and beautiful views

Best For: Variety of Terrain & Flow

Local's Tip: The part of the Air Force Academy grounds that the Falcon Trail is located on is not always open to the public. If you do not have an active military ID, then it is recommended you call ahead to check the status of the trail and whether the public is currently allowed access.

Trail Map

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Ute Valley Park – Great combo of fast trails and technical sections, with lots of rock riding

Best For: Experiencing A "Little Moab"

Local's Tip: Ute Valley Park's main parking lot off of Vindicator Drive gets full fast on the weekends. If there are no spaces when you arrive, parking is available in the elementary school lot right down the road (when school is out only).

Trail Map

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The Midland & Pikes Peak Greenway Trails – Wide, paved thoroughfares with virtually no climbing – great for families!

Best For: Taking The Whole Family For A Ride

Local's Tip: If you ride these trails all the way up to the North side of Colorado Springs, they will eventually become dirt roads, but they are still very rideable and well maintained. 

Trail Map

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The Columbine Trail & Buckhorn Trail – Two trails with serious elevation gain and a few sections as hike-a-bike for all except the most experienced riders

Best For: A Great Workout

Local's Tip: Once you reach the top of Buckhorn, continue down the trail until it hits a dirt road. Directly across the dirt road is the trailhead to Captain Jack's Downhill - this offers some flowy and fast singletrack. If you want to reward yourself for all that climbing, take Captain Jack's down before heading back to the car! 

Trail Map

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Pikes Peak Highway – 19 mile road with the greatest base-to-summit elevation gain in the state – 7,400 ft. Fully paved with more than 150 turns to the 14,115 ft. summit. Children under 18 must be escorted by parent or guardian. Admission fees apply – or use a Pikes Peak-America’s Mountain pass.

Best For: Preparing For The Tour de France

Local's Tip: There is no parking near the tollgate so any cyclists planning to drive to the highway and then bike to the summit are encouraged to park at the Crystal Reservoir Visitors Center parking lot or above. The ride from Crystal Reservoir is shorter with significantly less elevation gain - 12.5 miles with 4,880 feet in elevation gain - and is a good option for cyclists who aren't quite sure if they can handle the full 19 mile route. 

Weather changes incredibly fast on the mountain, and often the summit is 20-30 degrees colder than the base. Bring layers, plenty of water and a good calorie source.

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North Cheyenne Canyon – 3 miles from the resort – you can ride from your guest room! 3.2 mile climb up the canyon at a 7.3% grade

Best For: Perfecting Your Climbing Skills

Local's Tip: The two-lane road up the canyon can get very narrow in some spots and the shoulder is sometimes nonexistent. If you don't feel comfortable, then don't do it - however, locals are so accustomed to the plethora of road bikers (and mountain bikers) riding the road that they know to drive cautiously. 

Trail Map

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Highway 67 & Highway 81 in Cripple Creek & Victor – 23 mile loop at high altitude (just below 10,000 ft.) with good road conditions and a spectacular view – best area for a fall ride

Best For: A Scenic Loop

Local's Tips: Need a quick pick-me-up during or after your ride? Stop in the small mining town of Victor and visit the Gold Camp Bakery off of 3rd street. This small family-run shop will satisfy any sweet tooth with authentic German pastries, cakes, cookies and breads along with good, freshly brewed coffee. 

Academy Riding Stables

Chico Basin Ranch

M Lazy C Ranch

Old Stage Riding Stables

Tarryall River Ranch

Adventures Out West Ziplines

Broadmoor Outfitter's Soaring Adventure at Seven Falls

Royal Gorge Zip Line Tours

Angler's Covey

Bass Pro Shops

Pikes Peak Outfitter

The Peak Fly Shop