Best time to travel in Colorado Springs?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with 2015-2024 averages
Best time: May to September
Best avoided if possible: November to March (less pleasant weather or big crowds).
Temperatures and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Colorado Springs Airport station, NOAA data (public domain).
Semi-arid foothills climate at an altitude of 1,839 m: summers that are hot by day, around 29°C, with almost daily afternoon thunderstorms in July and August, and dry, sunny winters broken by cold snaps and snow; at the summit of Pikes Peak, it is 15 to 20°C colder than in town. The best time to visit Colorado Springs is May, June, July, August and September, with temperatures reaching 29-30°C (July). By contrast, January, February, March, April, October, November and December are generally less favourable (less pleasant weather or big crowds, depending on the destination), though a trip is still possible with a bit of planning. In high season, book early: prices and visitor numbers climb fast.
Go against the flow. To avoid the crowds without sacrificing too much on the weather, aim for April and October: the crowds thin out, prices drop too, and the climate stays pleasant.
Do these months appeal to you? See what's best elsewhere too: where to go in May · where to go in June · where to go in July · where to go in August · where to go in September.
At a glance
Why go to Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs was born in 1871 from a plan for a health resort dreamed up by General William Jackson Palmer, founder of a railway company, at the foot of Pikes Peak. The dry air and the altitude, 1,839 metres, drew tuberculosis sufferers from the East Coast, then the fortunes from the Cripple Creek gold, which built the Victorian villas of the north end and The Broadmoor hotel. Today the city has nearly 500,000 inhabitants, several military bases, the Air Force Academy and the headquarters of the American Olympic movement.
What people come to see, though, comes down to geology. Over a few kilometres, the plains break against the Front Range: the layers of red sandstone tilted vertical in the Garden of the Gods, the granite canyons of Cheyenne Cañon and, above it all, Pikes Peak, the most visited of the country's peaks over 14,000 feet because a road and a cog railway go up it. In an hour you pass from cactus-dotted prairie to bristlecone pines and alpine tundra, home to bighorn sheep and marmots.
The city also suits families and sporty travellers, with a zoo perched on the mountain, a new-generation Olympic museum, the Manitou Incline staircase and hundreds of kilometres of trails and cycle paths. Cheaper and calmer than Denver, an hour and a quarter to the north, it serves as a base for southern Colorado: Royal Gorge, Cripple Creek, the Arkansas valley and, further on, the dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Tourist map of Colorado Springs: what's where?
The map below pinpoints the 6 places covered in this guide: a handy way to picture the distances between each stop and plan your route in Colorado Springs.
- Garden of the Gods
- Pikes Peak
- Manitou Springs
- Seven Falls
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Paint Mines
How much does a trip to Colorado Springs cost in 2026? Budget calculator
Estimate your budget for Colorado Springs based on your travel style: accommodation, meals, activities and local transport included (flights excluded). Adjust the length and the number of travellers, and the totals update.
Totals for all travellers over the chosen length; the daily amount is per person. Flights extra, indicative amounts to adjust depending on the season.
Cards are accepted almost everywhere, contactless included; bring a few notes for feeding the giraffes at the zoo and for tips. Prices are shown before tax. A tip of 18 to 22% is expected in restaurants, $1-2 per drink at the bar.
Safety in Colorado Springs: should you be worried?
Colorado Springs is a safe city for visitors. The main risks are natural: the altitude, 1,839 metres in the city and 4,302 at the summit of Pikes Peak, causes breathlessness, headaches and sometimes dizzy spells, especially on the first day; drink plenty, climb gradually and come back down if the symptoms worsen. In summer, storms break almost every afternoon in the mountains with hail and lightning, so leave the summits and the Incline before noon. The sun burns fast at this altitude, even in cool weather. On the Pikes Peak road, the descent wears out brakes, so use engine braking. In the parks, leave nothing visible in the car. Rattlesnakes live in the low prairies, and wildfires can close trails in summer. Healthcare is excellent but very expensive, so health insurance covering the United States is essential.
Things to see and do in Colorado Springs
Our first-hand favourites, and the great classics:
- Garden of the Gods
- Pikes Peak
- Manitou Springs
- Manitou Incline
- Seven Falls
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
- Paint Mines Interpretive Park
What to book before you go to Colorado Springs →
🧭 Discover the Colorado Springs itinerary, day by dayMap, timings, budget and where to stay: free to access, to fit your dates. Create my tailor-made itinerary →Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City
West of downtown, the red sandstone park can be visited on foot, by bike or by car along a one-way road, with the visitor centre and its terrace overlooking the rocks at the north entrance. Just to the south, Old Colorado City, the first capital of the Colorado Territory, founded in 1859 before the present city, keeps a brick shopping street along Colorado Avenue, with galleries, breweries and restaurants. Rock Ledge Ranch, a historic farm at the foot of the park, recreates pioneer life in summer.
Manitou Springs and Ruxton Avenue
The small spa town to the west, with its eight freely accessible mineral springs, its Victorian villas clinging to the slope and its historic district, very lively in the evening. Ruxton Avenue, which runs up the canyon, leads to the Pikes Peak cog railway depot and the foot of the Manitou Incline. The Cliff House, an 1873 hotel that hosted Theodore Roosevelt, overlooks the main street. Parking is paid and scarce in summer; the free shuttles from the municipal car parks save you circling by car.
Pikes Peak
The 4,302-metre summit is reached by the 31 km toll road, from the village of Cascade, or by cog railway from Manitou. On the way, the Crystal Creek reservoir, forests of bristlecone pines more than 2,000 years old and the hairpin bends above the tree line offer places to stop. At the top, the 2021 visitor centre looks out over the plains as far as Kansas and along the Rockies to the Continental Divide. For hikers, the Barr Trail climbs from Manitou in 21 km and 2,300 metres of ascent, with a hut halfway.
The Broadmoor and Cheyenne Cañon
To the south-west, at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, the great pink hotel of The Broadmoor, opened in 1918 around a lake, turned the city into a resort destination. Higher up, the mountainside zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun overlook the city. North Cheyenne Cañon, a free city park, leads by a winding road to Helen Hunt Falls and the trails of Gold Camp Road, while South Cheyenne Cañon is home to Seven Falls, reached by free shuttle from the Norris Penrose Event Center.
Downtown
Downtown, laid out on a grid around Tejon Street and Pikes Peak Avenue, brings together hotels, restaurants, craft breweries and the Olympic museum, to the south, next to a new district of offices and flats. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, which is free, occupies the 1903 former courthouse and tells the story of the city's founding, from tuberculosis to the gold rush. The Colorado College campus, to the north, is home to the Fine Arts Center and its collections of art from the West and South-West.
Day trips to the south and east
An hour to the south-west, the Royal Gorge suspension bridge spans the Arkansas 291 metres above the water, near Cañon City. Cripple Creek, a former gold town an hour to the west along a mountain road, now lives off its casinos and a mine tour. To the east, the colourful hoodoos of the Paint Mines are 45 minutes away. Denver, to the north, is an hour and a quarter away on the I-25 motorway, and Great Sand Dunes National Park three hours to the south-west.
How many days, and which itinerary in Colorado Springs?
Three days are enough for the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs. Four or five days add Seven Falls, the zoo, the Olympic museum, the Manitou Incline and a trip to Royal Gorge or the Paint Mines. Beyond that, the city serves as a base for southern Colorado.
🗺️ Day-by-day Colorado Springs itinerary · 📓 Printable Colorado Springs travel guide (PDF) · 🌍 Discover all of the American West
The essentials (3 days)
Day 1: the Garden of the Gods at sunrise, lunch in Old Colorado City, the mineral springs and Victorian streets of Manitou Springs in the afternoon. Day 2: up Pikes Peak in the morning, by car or by cog railway, doughnuts at the summit, back down before the storms, dinner downtown. Day 3: Seven Falls in the morning by shuttle from the Norris Penrose Event Center, then Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun in the afternoon.
Sport and wide open spaces (5 days)
The three days of the essentials, plus a day that starts with the Manitou Incline at dawn, booked the day before, followed by the Olympic museum in the afternoon, and a day to the east for the Paint Mines in the late afternoon, with a stop at the Garden of the Gods visitor centre on the way back. Allow at least one day to acclimatise before the Incline or Pikes Peak if you are arriving from Europe.
Southern Colorado (8 days)
Three nights in Colorado Springs for the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Manitou, then the road south-west: Royal Gorge and its suspension bridge, a night in Salida in the Arkansas valley for rafting, two nights near Great Sand Dunes National Park, and back via Cripple Creek and its gold mines. Allow about 800 km and bookings for summer nights around the dunes.
How to get to Colorado Springs and get around?
There is no direct flight from Europe to Colorado Springs, whose airport only handles domestic flights. The simplest option is to fly via Denver, then hire a car for the 140 km (87 miles) to the city, about 1 h 30 from Denver airport via the E-470 and then the I-25. You can also continue on a domestic flight to Colorado Springs with a connection in Denver, Dallas or Chicago.
A car is essential: the sights are spread over some thirty kilometres, and the city bus network, Mountain Metro, serves the parks poorly. Hire one at the airport, around €50-80 a day in summer. Distances remain short: 15 minutes from downtown to the Garden of the Gods, 20 minutes to Manitou Springs.
Parking is free at the Garden of the Gods and the zoo, but paid in Manitou Springs, where the route 33 shuttle, free from late March to late October, links the municipal car parks to the railway depot and the foot of the Incline. Seven Falls has no car park: a free shuttle leaves from the Norris Penrose Event Center.
On the Pikes Peak road, ordinary hire cars are fine, but drive in first or second gear on the way down: brakes overheat quickly over the 2,000 metres of descent.
Where to stay in Colorado Springs?
Downtown and the north, around the I-25 motorway, concentrate the chain hotels, from €100 to €170 a night in summer, with free parking. It is the practical choice for driving out to all the sights in under 25 minutes.
Manitou Springs has the most pleasant atmosphere, with renovated 1950s motels along Manitou Avenue, bed and breakfasts in Victorian villas and the historic hotel The Cliff House, from €120 to €280 a night. Everything is within walking distance in the evening, and the Pikes Peak train leaves from the end of the street.
The area around the Garden of the Gods and West Colorado Avenue, between Old Colorado City and Manitou, lines up simple motels and a few lodges at €80-130 a night, five minutes from the red rocks at sunrise.
The south-west of the city is home to the big resorts: The Broadmoor, a grand hotel from 1918 with a lake, golf and spa, from €450 to €900 a night, and the more affordable Cheyenne Mountain Resort. The Garden of the Gods Resort and Club, perched above the park, offers views of the rocks from its rooms.
Our picks stop by stop, in three price ranges →
What to eat in Colorado Springs?
The local food is that of Colorado: green chile smothering burritos, bison as a burger or steak, and trout from the mountain rivers. Expect $15-25, about €13-22, for a simple meal, and $35-60, about €30-52, in a more refined restaurant downtown or in Manitou.
Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs concentrate the most pleasant places, with terraces, craft breweries and cafés in old houses. Downtown, around Tejon Street, brings together restaurants and cocktail bars for the evening.
At the summit of Pikes Peak, the high-altitude doughnuts, made with a recipe adapted to the low air pressure, have become a ritual, eaten in front of the view. The 1858 restaurant at Seven Falls, at the foot of the falls, and The Broadmoor's restaurants are the prestige addresses.
Craft beer is everywhere, from downtown to Old Colorado City. Altitude strengthens the effect of alcohol, so alternate with water. Tap water is safe to drink, and the Manitou mineral springs can be drunk for free at the fountains.
Which kind of traveller is it for?
Colorado Springs lends itself to a nature-focused, active and cultural trip. Whether you travel with family, as a couple or even solo, everyone finds their own pace. For accommodation, you will mostly find classic hotels, resorts and boutique hotels.
Entry requirements & practical info
UK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
Rules change: before you leave, check your country's official travel advice.
Once there, to stay online without paying roaming charges, an Colorado Springs eSIM activates in a few minutes and works as soon as you land (plans from €3.99). Remember suitable travel insurance too.
Frequently asked questions about Colorado Springs
When is the best time to visit Colorado Springs?
From May to September, when the Pikes Peak road is generally open to the summit and the trails are dry. July and August are hot in the city, around 29°C, with afternoon storms, which means doing the mountain in the morning. September brings golden aspens and fewer people. Winter is dry and sunny, but the summit road may close above the halfway point after snowfall.
How do you get to the top of Pikes Peak?
Three options. The 31 km toll road, at $18, about €15, per adult or $65, about €56, per car of up to five people, plus a $2 timed permit in summer. The cog railway from Manitou Springs, 3 h 30 return, booked online. Or on foot by the Barr Trail, 21 km and 2,300 metres of ascent, a very long day for trained and acclimatised hikers only.
Do you need to book the Manitou Incline?
Yes. The climb is free, but an online reservation for a half-hour slot and a signed waiver are compulsory for every visit. Early-morning slots go quickly at summer weekends.
How many days do you need in Colorado Springs?
Three days for the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs, five to add Seven Falls, the zoo, the Olympic museum, the Incline and a day trip. The city combines easily with Denver, an hour and a quarter to the north, on a Colorado road trip of one to two weeks.
Do you need a car in Colorado Springs?
Yes. The sights are spread between the city, Manitou and the mountain, and the city buses do not serve the parks. Cars can be hired at Colorado Springs airport or at Denver airport, 1 h 30 away by road.
Is altitude a problem in Colorado Springs?
In the city, at 1,839 metres, most travellers feel only slight tiredness. At the summit of Pikes Peak, at 4,302 metres, dizziness, headaches and breathlessness are common: stay only a short time, drink, avoid exertion and come back down if it does not pass. Wait a day or two after arriving before going up or attempting the Incline.
Is there an entrance fee for the Garden of the Gods?
No, entry, parking and the visitor centre are free, a condition set by the Perkins family when it gave the land to the city in 1909. The park opens from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May to October and from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from November to April.
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