Hiking
Colorado Springs Adventure
Colorado Springs, Colorado · 3 days · Moderate
About This Trip
Colorado Springs delivers the state's most varied landscape in a single weekend: fire-red sandstone at Garden of the Gods, alpine tundra on Pikes Peak, rolling sand dunes, and Class IV whitewater.
Highlights
- Garden of the Gods, red rock formations and easy trails
- Pikes Peak (14,115 ft), drive or hike to the summit
- Great Sand Dunes National Park, sandboarding on 750-ft dunes
- Royal Gorge Via Ferrata, exposed cables above a deep canyon
- Arkansas River whitewater, Class III–IV rapids
Day-by-Day Plan
Day 1
Garden of the Gods + Pikes Peak or Devils Head
- Pikes Peak via Barr Trail, 26 mi RT, the full pilgrimage (or drive)
- Devils Head Lookout, forested 2.6 mi hike to a historic fire tower
- Garden of the Gods loop trails, easy, stunning, great for photos
Day 2
Great Sand Dunes or Mount Princeton
- Great Sand Dunes + Zapata Falls, sandboard 750-ft dunes, then a slot canyon waterfall
- Mount Princeton (14,204 ft), hot springs at the base, alpine summit at the top
Day 3
High Adrenaline Finale
- Arkansas River whitewater rafting, Class III–IV through Browns Canyon
- Royal Gorge Via Ferrata, exposed cables 1,000 ft above the Arkansas River
- Manitou Incline, 2,744 railroad ties, 2,000 ft gain in under a mile