Colorado Springs

In March of 2024 we took a four day trip to Colorado Springs for a work conference but decided to make the best of it with some fun day trips while we were in the area. We stayed at at the Broadmoor Resort which is a five star hotel and an experience in itself. It has the feel of a European castle but also also has a lot of American west decoration with wilderness lodge vibes.

We went hiking in the Garden of the Gods which is a very popular tourist hiking area which felt like it was right next to the down town area. We got there around nine in the morning on a week day and other people were there but not as many as later in the day. This allowed me to get very close to a heard of deer that were grazing right next to the trail.

Next up was a drive up as high as we were allowed on Pikes Peak. We were told that April and May are the time of year that gets the most snow on Pikes Peak and this meant that we could only make it to around three quarters of the way to the summit. It also meant that other than the views from the road, there wasn’t that much to do there. Still worth the trip since the scenery is very beautiful but if you have plans of hiking this time of year, think again.

Very close to the exit road from Pikes peak is a very family friendly attraction called The Cave of the Winds which was a very interesting and fun way to spend an hour. There are guided tours for a per person fee that take you deep underground through a sandstone cave system. The guide describes the history of the cave discovery and how it was created over millions of years. I hung toward the back to try and grab photos that didn’t have a lot of people in them but you need to keep moving at a steady pace to keep up with your group.

One of our last activities was doing a hike called “seven bridges” which is named that way because…you probably guessed it, you cross seven small bridges while hiking up the trail. The trail crosses back and forth over the mountain stream that the trail follows along in a sort of zig-zag pattern. Other articles I checked out before doing this hike called it family friendly and easy but as someone who is not from the area doing it in March, I would say this was more of a moderate difficulty. The trail was covered in snow which made things a lot more difficult to avoid slipping. Also by the time I reached the part of the trail that departs away from the stream I was breathing pretty hard from the thin air. I would definitely recommend this trail for someone looking for a quick 2 hour hike but if you go in March leave the kids at home and don’t expect any huge scenic views as this trail winds through a canyon and doesn’t look out over anything super majestic in my opinion.