Colorado Springs sits at about 6,035 feet on the dry eastern side of the Front Range, directly beneath Pikes Peak, which rises to 14,115 feet a few miles west of the city. It is the second largest city in Colorado, it is a military town as much as anything else, and the two things worth coming for are both geological.
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What Is Here
GARDEN OF THE GODS IS FREE, AND THAT IS THE FIRST THING TO KNOW. The hero image is it: fins and towers of 300-foot red sandstone tilted vertically by the same uplift that made the Rockies, inside a city park. There is no entrance fee, there is no entrance fee for parking, and the central garden has paved, largely accessible trails through the formations. The land was given to the city in 1909 on the condition that it remain free to the public forever, and it has. THE VISITOR CENTRE AND THE CENTRAL CAR PARKS FILL BY MID-MORNING in summer; go early or late, when the light on the rock is also better.
PIKES PEAK IS THE SECOND IMAGE AND THERE ARE THREE WAYS UP. THE BROADMOOR MANITOU AND PIKES PEAK COG RAILWAY, rebuilt and reopened in 2021, runs from Manitou Springs to the summit in about three hours return and IS TIMED, TICKETED AND SELLS OUT WEEKS AHEAD IN SUMMER: book before you travel, not when you arrive. THE PIKES PEAK HIGHWAY is a nineteen-mile toll road to the top, paved throughout now, with no guardrails on long stretches and a mandatory brake check on the way down. OR YOU WALK: BARR TRAIL is about thirteen miles one way with roughly 7,400 feet of ascent, which is a serious all-day mountain outing and not a hike.
THE SUMMIT IS AT 14,115 FEET AND THAT IS HIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE PEOPLE ILL. The visitor centre at the top sells doughnuts and oxygen, which tells you what you need to know. ALTITUDE SICKNESS AT THE SUMMIT IS COMMON AND NORMAL, with headache, nausea, breathlessness and dizziness, and it affects fit people who arrived from sea level the day before. Go up slowly, drink water, do not drink alcohol beforehand, do not go up on your arrival day, and come down if symptoms worsen rather than pushing through. It is also commonly TWENTY TO THIRTY DEGREES FAHRENHEIT COLDER than the city with high wind, and there can be snow in July.
MANITOU SPRINGS IS THE OLD SPA TOWN AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN, with free naturally carbonated mineral springs you can fill a bottle from at marked fountains around town, each tasting different. The MANITOU INCLINE is a former funicular bed turned staircase of roughly 2,700 steps gaining about 2,000 feet in under a mile, it is extremely popular, and IT REQUIRES A FREE TIMED RESERVATION. It is a genuine cardiovascular event at altitude, not a walk.
THE THIRD IMAGE IS A MOUNTAIN ROAD IN MIST, which is what the approaches look like. The AIR FORCE ACADEMY north of the city has a visitor centre and the Cadet Chapel's seventeen aluminium spires, and ACCESS DEPENDS ON THE SECURITY POSTURE AND THE CHAPEL HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR A LONG RESTORATION, so check before driving out.
THE CAVE OF THE WINDS AND THE CLIFF DWELLINGS are the other commercial attractions, and the OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TRAINING CENTER and its museum downtown are better than expected: the museum is one of the most accessible buildings in the United States by design.
When to Go
June to September for the mountain, with the cog railway and the highway fully open and the trails clear.
September and early October are the pick: warm days, cold nights, aspen gold on the high slopes, and the crowds gone.
JULY TO EARLY SEPTEMBER IS MONSOON SEASON AND IT GOVERNS EVERY DAY. Mornings are clear and thunderstorms build over the peaks from early afternoon almost daily. THE RULE IS TO BE OFF THE SUMMIT AND OFF EXPOSED GROUND BY EARLY AFTERNOON, and the cog railway and the highway suspend operations in lightning.
Winter is cold, bright and dry in the city, which gets less snow than Denver, while the peak is in full winter. The highway closes above a certain point and the cog railway runs a reduced schedule.
March and April are the snowiest months at this elevation, which catches out visitors who book spring.
Getting There
By air, Colorado Springs Airport is small and well connected enough; DENVER INTERNATIONAL IS ABOUT NINETY MINUTES NORTH and is usually cheaper, with shuttle services down.
By car, on Interstate 25, about ninety minutes from Denver.
By bus, the Bustang runs between Denver and here.
YOU NEED A CAR. Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, the cog railway station and the Air Force Academy are all spread out, the city bus is not a visitor service, and ride-hailing to a trailhead is expensive. This is the most car-dependent destination in this batch.
Is Colorado Springs Safe for Women?
The FCDO publishes no advised-against areas anywhere in the United States and no country-level warning. Its guidance concentrates on the practical differences a British visitor meets: entry requirements and ESTA, the cost of healthcare without insurance, extreme weather including hurricanes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts between June and November, and wildfire and heat risk in the west and south-west.
The city is safe for visitors with ordinary care, and crime against them is mostly car break-ins at trailheads, which is the western American constant. Downtown, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs and the Broadmoor area are all comfortable; there is no district a visitor needs to be in after dark that is a problem. Leave nothing visible in a parked car at Garden of the Gods, the Incline or any trailhead.
ALTITUDE IS THE FIRST REAL HAZARD AND THE SUMMIT IS THE SHARP END. At 6,035 feet in town you will be breathless and dehydrated; at 14,115 feet altitude sickness is common. Give yourself a day before going high, drink far more than feels necessary, and treat worsening symptoms as a reason to descend.
LIGHTNING IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING IN COLORADO AND IT KILLS PEOPLE EVERY SUMMER. The state has one of the highest casualty rates in the country and the daily pattern is predictable. Above treeline there is no shelter at all. Be down by early afternoon.
THE UV AT THIS ELEVATION IS SEVERE, roughly a quarter stronger than at sea level in the city and far worse on the summit snowfields. Burning in twenty minutes in winter is normal.
The air is extremely dry and you dehydrate without visible sweating.
The Pikes Peak Highway has long unguarded drops and requires a brake check descending; overheated brakes are the commonest incident on it.
Black bears, mountain lions and rattlesnakes are all present, rattlesnakes most relevantly in the lower foothills and at Garden of the Gods in warm weather. Stay on trail.
WILDFIRE IS A REAL SEASONAL RISK. The Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 destroyed hundreds of homes inside the city limits. Smoke and short-notice closures both happen.
The Colorado Springs Packing List
Thin dry air, fierce sun, big daily swings, afternoon storms and a summit in winter.
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is close to the ideal garment for the Front Range: a forty degree Fahrenheit swing between afternoon and night is ordinary, and on the peak you can be warm in sun and genuinely cold in wind within minutes. Wool covers that and keeps working wet. From October to May add a heavyweight merino base layer.
A Columbia Fast Trek II fleece and a Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket. TAKE BOTH UP PIKES PEAK IN ANY MONTH: the summit is twenty to thirty degrees colder than the city and windy, and this is the single most ignored instruction here.
A wide brim sun hat and a long sun hoodie, which at this altitude on pale rock and snow are the difference between a good day and a burn.
Walking shoes with grip. Garden of the Gods is slickrock and gravel, and the Incline is 2,700 uneven railway-tie steps.
Not linked and worth packing: HIGH-FACTOR SUNSCREEN AND SUNGLASSES, the two most important items in this bag; LIP BALM AND MOISTURISER for the dryness; A LARGE WATER BOTTLE, which the Manitou mineral fountains will refill for free; AN EARLY ALARM, which is genuinely a safety item because the whole lightning strategy is being down by early afternoon; YOUR COG RAILWAY BOOKING AND YOUR FREE INCLINE RESERVATION; and MICROSPIKES in winter for icy trails. The US is almost entirely card-based and tipping is expected.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Colorado Springs
Emergency numbers: 911 for police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone including a locked mobile. Calls are answered locally and dispatchers will stay on the line. For non-urgent police matters many cities also run a 311 information line.
TWO HAZARDS DECIDE EVERY DAY HERE. ALTITUDE: the city is at 6,035 feet and the Pikes Peak summit at 14,115, where altitude sickness is common and normal even in fit people who arrived from sea level the day before, with headache, nausea, breathlessness and dizziness. Do not go high on your arrival day, drink far more than feels necessary, avoid alcohol beforehand, and descend if symptoms worsen rather than pushing on; the summit visitor centre sells oxygen. LIGHTNING: Colorado has one of the highest lightning casualty rates in the United States, storms build over the peaks from early afternoon almost daily from July to early September, there is no shelter above treeline, and THE RULE IS TO BE DOWN BY EARLY AFTERNOON. The cog railway and the highway suspend in lightning. THE SUMMIT IS COMMONLY 20 TO 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT COLDER THAN THE CITY with high wind and possible snow in July, so carry a fleece and a shell up in any month. GARDEN OF THE GODS IS FREE, including parking, under the 1909 gift condition, but the central car parks fill by mid-morning in summer. THE COG RAILWAY IS TIMED AND SELLS OUT WEEKS AHEAD; THE MANITOU INCLINE NEEDS A FREE TIMED RESERVATION and is 2,700 steps gaining 2,000 feet at altitude. THE PIKES PEAK HIGHWAY has long unguarded drops and a mandatory brake check descending. UV IS ABOUT A QUARTER STRONGER than at sea level and worse on snow. WILDFIRE IS A REAL RISK: the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire destroyed hundreds of homes inside the city. Rattlesnakes are present at Garden of the Gods in warm weather, and bears and mountain lions in the foothills. CAR BREAK-INS AT TRAILHEADS are the main crime against visitors. March and April are the snowiest months.
US State Department travel advisory: there is none, and this is not an omission. The State Department issues travel advisories for other countries, not for the United States itself, so no US advisory for this destination exists to link. In its place, the Government of Canada advice for the United States gives an equivalent third-country assessment.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits. The FCDO names no advised-against areas anywhere in the United States. The same advice also covers Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Main hospital: UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central on North Nevada Avenue is the region's Level I trauma centre with a 24 hour emergency department, and Penrose Hospital is the other major option. Dial 911 for police, ambulance or fire, and note that a mountain incident also goes through 911, which dispatches El Paso County search and rescue and, on the peak, the teams that work Barr Trail: give a trail name or a mile marker on the highway rather than a street. This is the single biggest practical difference for a visitor: there is no public health system, an emergency room visit without insurance can run into thousands of dollars, and an ambulance is billed separately and is not free. Comprehensive travel insurance with a high medical limit is not optional in the United States, and you should carry your policy number and the insurer's 24 hour number somewhere you can reach them. Urgent care clinics handle anything short of an emergency far more cheaply and quickly than an emergency room, and are the right choice for a sprain, an infection or stitches.
Official health authority: the CDC travellers' health pages, the US federal health authority for visitors. covers the US public health guidance, with the National Weather Service the authority for lightning, red flag fire and winter storm warnings
Embassy contact: the United States is the host country, so there is no US embassy to contact. Your own country's embassy is in Washington DC, with consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Miami and Boston. Find yours before you travel and save the number.
Official tourism authority: Brand USA, the national tourism marketing body. covers Colorado Springs visitor information, the Pikes Peak cog railway and highway status and the free Manitou Incline reservation system
Takeaways
Garden of the Gods is free, including parking. Go early.
Book the cog railway weeks ahead. It sells out.
Be off the high ground by early afternoon. Colorado lightning kills.
The summit is thirty degrees colder. Take the fleece in July.
Solo women safety assessment: Colorado Springs is comfortable to visit alone, with the practical caveat that it is thoroughly car-dependent: the attractions are spread across a wide valley, the bus is not a visitor service, and ride-hailing to trailheads adds up, so a hire car is close to necessary rather than convenient. Downtown, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs and the Broadmoor area are all easy and ordinary, and eating alone anywhere in them is unremarkable. The crime that affects visitors is the car break-in at trailheads, endemic across the American West, so leave nothing visible at Garden of the Gods, the Incline or any pull-out. 911 REACHES POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE free from any phone; UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central on North Nevada Avenue is the Level I trauma centre; and 911 also dispatches El Paso County search and rescue, so if you are hurt on the mountain give a trail name or a highway mile marker rather than a street. THE UNITED STATES HAS NO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE FOR VISITORS and insurance is essential. EVERY SERIOUS RISK HERE IS THE MOUNTAIN, AND THE EASE OF REACHING THE SUMMIT IS WHAT MAKES IT DANGEROUS. A train or a car puts you at 14,115 feet in an hour or two, where altitude sickness is common in fit people, where it is twenty to thirty degrees colder than the city, where the wind is hard and where there can be snow in July: that is why the summit shop sells oxygen beside the doughnuts. Give yourself a day at altitude first, drink constantly, skip the alcohol, and go down if you feel worse. The second is lightning, which kills people in this state every summer: storms build over the peaks from early afternoon, there is nowhere to shelter above treeline, and the only reliable defence is an early start. Rattlesnakes are at Garden of the Gods in warm weather, and wildfire has reached inside the city limits within living memory.
Reading On
Colorado Springs is the southern end of the Front Range and the Denver packing list is ninety minutes north, which is the usual arrival airport and shares this altitude and this lightning pattern, while the Boulder packing list leads on the Flatirons and is the other great Front Range rock destination. South west, the Santa Fe packing list and the Albuquerque packing list cover the high desert of New Mexico, where the monsoon and the flash-flood rules are the same. West, the Arches packing list and the Zion packing list cover the red rock country of Utah and the Grand Canyon packing list the canyon itself. North, the Yellowstone packing list and the Glacier packing list cover the northern Rockies. For the country, the United States travel guide for women carries the transport, the health insurance question and the regions in full. For why wool handles a hot afternoon and a freezing summit in one shirt, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women. Every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women, and the base layers are at the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
