Hiking & Biking the Pikes Peak Region

(Hiking and Biking in Colorado Springs)

Mountain Biking on Capn' Jacks

Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak region offers incredible opportunities for the athletic person. Whether you are a world-class competitor or a weekend warrior, there are great trails and roads to be explored. Colorado Springs is world-class in its variety of hiking, running and biking trails, and offers access and proximity to amenities like top-drawer lodging and dining. These trails are almost totally deserted on weekdays, even in the height of summer!

We'll start with hiking/running trails in the area. We will divide them into year-round and seasonal. Seasonal trails will have patches of ice or snow on them (usually only in the shade) due to the proximity to the mountains from about November 1st through April. Most years, these dates will vary: we have hiked trails on Christmas Day when they are totally dry, but other years they may still be icy in May. Keep in mind that the locals use all these trails all year long; this packs the snow down and can make them icy in spots, but locals will have equipment to handle these conditions (shoe "grippers" and hiking poles, for example). Even the year-round trails can get slippery for a week after a big snow-fall....

Year Round Trails - Hiking

One does not need to travel farther than the Garden of the Gods to experience some incredible trails and roads for hiking and running. The City of Colorado Springs has an excellent section on their website showing many trails (including Garden of the Gods, Palmer Park, Cheyenne Canyon and Red Rock Canyon-mentioned in this section) here (and scroll to the bottom of the page on their site). The interactive trail maps are not as detailed or as readable as the PDF maps, in our opinion. We have copied some maps from their site since the links change frequently.

One could spend two days in the Garden of the Gods hiking the trails. We especially like the Siamese Twins/Cabin Canyon area, the Susan Bretag/Palmer Trail loop (back through the Gateway Rocks) and the Niobara/Ute Trail areas for their views. HERE is a map of the Garden of the Gods

Palmer Park is a large park in the middle of the city where the views are beautiful and the trails are almost always clear of snow and ice. The east side features spectacular views of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and downtown Colorado Springs. The Templeton Trail is very beautiful with the trail on the top of the bluff in many areas. HERE is a map of Palmer Park

Red Rock Canyon is the newest Colorado Springs City Park. The hiking trails here offer some of the best views in Colorado Springs. We like Contemplation Trail and Quarry Pass trails; some people actually prefer it to Garden of the Gods; again refer to the Colorado Springs Parks site for maps.( OR get the map HERE- again taken from Colorado Springs City site).

Seasonal Trails: Spring, Summer and Fall - Hiking

The Big Daddy is Barr Trail; 13 miles and 8000 feet from Manitou Springs to the Summit of Pikes Peak. Locals (as mentioned above) hike this all year long, but in the winter it can become very icy on the switchbacks in the shade (over the first three miles) so be cautious. Additionally, the trail above timberline becomes obscured in the winter by snow; usually crampons and an ice axe are needed when this happens. Matt Carpenter's site offers the best links for this trail. There is also a $0.25 map available at the Cog that has a rough map of Barr Trail. A good intro to the trail is the walk to Barr Camp (7.5 miles up one-way). While Barr Trail is impressive, its sheer length is what makes it daunting. The first few miles are a real slog, with many switchbacks; after you reach the middle miles, you have a little more of a gradual climb with views of the surrounding mountains; you only see Pikes Peak occasionally. After you leave Barr Camp (make sure you stop at Barr Camp to get updated weather info, restock on supplies, etc.), you begin to climb in earnest. This is where the altitude starts to affect a person's metabolism. If you don't have a planned way down, be prepared to walk back down. Thunderstorms in the summer and snow in winter can shut the summit house down and prevent the trains and the highway staff from making it to the summit or force their early departure. ALWAYS have extra warm (rain/snow proof) clothing and plenty of water and snacks!

Waldo Canyon is located up highway 24 about 2 miles above Manitou Springs. There is a big parking area on the right side about 1.5 miles past the Cave of the Winds stoplight along Highway 24. This is a beautiful 7 mile loop; 1.5 in, a 4 mile true loop and the 1.5 back out. It too gets icy in the winter on the steep shady parts. Once you reach the loop, it is generally best to go clockwise so you ascend the slippery areas and coming down is a more gentle grade. It is VERY popular on weekends, so for more solitude, do it during the week. There is a map here; this site also has other maps of great hiking and running trails

Cheyenne Canyon offers some great trails. go HERE (from Colorado Springs Parks link as above) for some maps. Columbine is somewhat steep but very beautiful. We like starting at the Starsmore Center and going all the way to Helen Hunt Falls. Doing just the Helen Hunt Falls trail (starts at Helen Hunt Falls) is a nice, quick jaunt as is the Mt. Cutler Trail (off the road to Helen Hunt Falls).

The new Cheyenne Mountain State Park has some excellent trails. Here is a link. Be aware that there is a day use fee unless you have a Colorado State Park Pass.

Aiken Canyon is owned by the Nature Conservancy and allows hikes on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. This trail is virtually snow-free year round. (No pets or bikes are allowed.)

Biking - Road Biking

Road biking is great in Colorado Springs. There are numerous bike paths and side streets that are ideal. Due to our temperate climate, they can all be ridden year-round EXCEPT after heavy snows. It usually takes three full days and the streets are cleared again (but watch for loose gravel dropped by the plows. Even in December and January (except on rare years), you can ride in comfort in mid-afternoon on the roads.

Garden of the Gods is an incredible ride; the hills give you a good workout. We usually start in Manitou, ride past Balanced Rock, down Ridge Road (except for the last steep drop back to Colorado Ave.), ride out to the Visitors Center and up the bike path (Foothills Trail) to Glen Eyrie (open Monday through Friday-ride through Glen Eyrie if possible for the beautiful grounds), through there and back along the bike path (Foothills Trail), up towards the Gateway Rocks, and back past Balanced Rock and into Manitou Springs on El Paso. See the map above (or go here.)

The Air Force Academy is once again open to road bikers, so there is a nice 12.5 mile loop there. Here is the Air Force Cycling team's map. You also MUST have a valid photo ID to get on the Academy grounds.

Just to the east of Colorado Springs are numerous small roads that stay dry all year long and where you can put in some serious miles. Check out Mapquest or Google maps; the Squirrel Creek Rd., S. Peyton Highway, Hanover Rd., Old Pueblo Rd. and Link Rd. loop is a very nice, rolling 39 mile (approx) loop. You can also drive up to Woodland Park and ride on Highway 67 to the little town of Deckers (45 miles round trip) almost year-round. The views are very nice.

Last but not least... Mountain Biking!

Rippin' it up - Jones DH