1, 2 or 3-day Colorado Springs Itinerary
Are you planning a visit to Colorado Springs and wondering what to do? Well, this 1, 2 or 3-day Colorado Springs itinerary is for you to know all the best things to do there!
I spent 2 days in Colorado Springs during my Colorado road trip, but I also lived in the city for a few months back in 2017.
I know it well and must be honest – it’s a highly underrated city.
What can you expect from this itinerary?
- A good mix of outdoors and indoors, which means mostly outdoors
- For it to be relatively cheap
- They’re all my favorite things about Colorado Springs
So, let’s get to it!
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What’s Great about Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs is a great city to visit because it doesn’t really feel like a city.
It was built around a lot of gorgeous natural structures like Garden of the Gods, which is right in the middle of the city.
But there’s so much more around, like Pike’s Peak, Red Rock Canyon Open Space and Cheyenne Mountain, just to name a few.
Outside of nature, or should I say inside, Colorado Springs also has some unique touristy destinations.
It has a big Military and Olympic tradition, so you can visit the U.S. Air Force Academy or Olympic & Paralympic Museum for some surprisingly awesome days or tourism.
I’m a big fan of Colorado Springs!
Where to Stay in Colorado Springs
If you follow this blog, you know I’m all about free camping or staying with friends.
So, since I have a lot of friends in Colorado Springs, I was able to pay nothing in accommodation during my trip.
Even so, I found some free car camping spots near the city while I was planning. But, like in most cities, the free camping spots weren’t ideal because they were so far away.
If you’d like to see all the free camping spots I vetted in Colorado, click here – this link will take you to a page where you can gain access to all those free spots.
But if you HAVE to stay at a hotel in Colorado Springs, here are some affordable options that are conveniently located:
- Manitou Springs by IHG (Rated 9.2 on Booking.com)
- Pikes Peak Inn (Rated 8.7 on Booking.com)
- Rainbow Lodge and Inn (Rated 8.4 on Booking.com)
These are all super close to Garden of the Gods, which puts you close to every stop on this Colorado Springs Itinerary.
Colorado Springs Itinerary
Here’s how to plan your itinerary, depending on how many days you’ll be in Colorado Springs:
- If you’re only spending 1 day there, do day 1 of this itinerary.
- If you’re spending 2 days there, do day 1 and then choose either day 2 or 3 (I would go for 3).
- And if you’re spending 3 days in Colorado Springs, do day 2, day 1 and then day 3 (in that order)… you’ll see why!
Day 1: Colorado Springs Proper
Day 1 of this Colorado Springs itinerary is what you should do if you only have 1 day here!
All of these activities are inside the city, which makes it a day with minimal travel and pure fun.
Stop 1: Garden of the Gods
If you’ve never heard of Colorado Springs, you may have heard about Garden of the Gods.
It’s a gigantic public park with these crazy fins of red rock that burst out of the ground. They look like the half-buried spikes on a leviathan’s back.
These huge spires are narrow, but long, and some of them are up to 300 feet tall!
It’s a great place to spend some time in nature.
Here are 2 tips to make your trip to Garden of the Gods seamless:
- What time to visit? Visit Garden of the Gods in the morning to beat the crowds and leave time for other things later in the day. The park opens at 5 a.m. year-round, and the Visitor Center opens at 9 a.m. all year.
- What to do? The park has lots of trails to explore it, and you can do it on a segway or a bike, but I did it the old-fashioned way on my own 2 feet. Here’s a map of all the different trails, but you can also get your own copy at the Visitor Center! You can also rock climb in the park, but you need a permit to do that.
Once you’re done exploring the Garden of the Gods, drive 8 minutes to the next destination.
Stop 2: The Glen Eyrie Castle
That’s right, Colorado Springs has its own castle, and it was built on a grounds that’s just as beautiful as Garden of the Gods.
I actually lived here (not the castle… I wish!) for 2 months while I was working in the castle kitchen, so I know the place really well!
I went on the most incredible sunrise hikes, saw my first bears here (way too up close) and had the summer of a lifetime. The place is dear to my heart!
What to Do at the Glen Eyrie?
The most popular thing to do at the Glen Eyrie Castle is visit for tea time. But there’s so much more you can do!
- Tea at the Castle: you get to visit the castle for tea time, where they serve you teas and a bunch of other aperitifs. It’s quite a fancy activity for this blog about budget travel, but it’s worth your while. I know because I helped make a lot of the food for Tea at the Castle – so much intricate preparation goes into each plate!
- Hiking: that’s more like it! Now, I lived here, so I probably got to know way more hikes than the public is allowed to explore. All I’ll say is that the Glen Eyrie’s land is MUCH more than just a castle. It’s a grounds right by the mountains, which means the landscape gets rugged real quick! You can take a guided hike or hike by yourself (but only if you’ve booked a tea, tour, or night). Find free trail maps at the front desk of the Carriage House!
- Tour: you can take a tour of the Glen Eyrie Castle, which was built by General Palmer, one of the main men behind Colorado Springs’ early development.
Stop 3: The U.S. Air Force Academy
The U.S. Air Force Academy is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
The 2 things most worth visiting are the Cadet Chapel and the Barry Goldwater Visitor Center.
- Cadet Chapel: this impressive chapel is absolutely worth visiting. It’s one of the most impressive pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen. Even though it’s closed for renovations until 2027, it’s worth seeing from the outside.
- Barry Goldwater Visitor Center: this Visitor Center is more of a museum. It has exhibits and historical information all around. I spent a long time here, looking at and reading everything. If you’re into military history, you’ll love this place.
The Visitor Center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And that’s day 1 of this Colorado Springs itinerary!
Day 2: Manitou Incline, town, chill with mini golf
Stop 1: The Incline
The Manitou Incline is an insane hike.
It climbs 2,000 feet in under a mile, which means you’re hiking at angles of 45 degrees and upwards. It’s so hard that it has bailout points as you go up, and a ton of people end up using them.
Get up early on this day to beat the crowds and find parking, because it’s a really popular hike.
You do have to make a free reservation before going, and you do have to pay for parking.
And if you can’t find parking the day of, no worries! A shuttle system can get you from Manitou Springs to the incline for a few hours of hell.
Woohoo!
Stop 2: Manitou Springs
With the toughest part of the day over, it’s time to tour the quirky town of Manitou Springs and, more importantly, eat!
If you’re still capable of walking, stroll down Manitou Ave and enjoy the Victorian mountain town vibe, bunch of gift shops and art galleries.
The only place I’ve gotten food was Ruffrano’s Hell’s Kitchen Pizza and it was delicious.
Stop 3: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
The last stop on day 2 of this Colorado Springs itinerary is the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
Colorado Springs is known as Olympic City, and some Olympians are known to go up the Manitou Incline in about 30 minutes.
So, it makes sense to pay a visit to the heroes of our age after quite the morning!
I’ve actually never been, so it’s something I’ll be doing next time I visit Colorado Springs.
Day 3: Pikes Peak
Stop 1: Pikes Peak, Colorado Spring’s 14er
Pikes Peak is a fourteener (mountain over 14,000 feet tall) right outside of Colorado Springs.
It dominates the western horizon pretty much wherever you go in the city, and is my favorite thing about Colorado Springs.
Day 3 of this Colorado Springs itinerary is all about Pikes Peak.
There are three ways to get to the top of Pikes Peak:
- Driving: you can drive up to the very top of Pikes Peak, making it one of the highest roads you’ll ever drive! It’s open all year, but you do have to make a $2 reservation before hand during the warmer (more popular) months.
- On a train: the Cog Railway is a high-altitude train that goes all the way to the top of Pikes Peak. I’ve done the 3 hour trip on it and it is gorgeous and so much fun. Tickets start at $67, but it’s worth it.
- Hiking: this was my favorite way to get up Pikes Peak, of course. But there’s NO WAY I’m ever doing the full 27-mile hike. The best way to do it is to do The Crags trail, which makes it a 6-mile roundtrip hike with the same incredible views.
Once you’re at the top, go to the Visitor Center, which is pretty much just a gift shop… but they have world-famous donuts and they are DELICIOUS!
Stop 2: The Royal Gorge Bridge
The Royal Gorge Bridge is America’s Highest Suspension Bridge, and it’s just 1 hour from Colorado Springs.
Getting into the park costs $30.95, and all the park’s rides cost extra. But I enjoyed just walking across the bridge and taking in the view.
Speaking of the view, the bridge is 956 feet above the Arkansas River. It’s gorgeous and you might just feel butterflies in your stomach because of the sheer drop to the river.
It’s amazing to see.
I realize now I didn’t take a picture of the bridge, but I did take a picture of the huge drop!
It’s a sight to behold and worth a trip from Colorado Springs!
Final Thoughts on the Colorado Springs Itinerary
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Where to Next?
Colorado Springs was my first stop during my Colorado road trip and, let me tell you, it really is just a taste of what Colorado has in store for you.
The stop after was Great Sand Dunes National Park, the park where I’ve had by far the most fun!
And then these were some of my favorite destinations on the Colorado road trip:
- Driving the Million-dollar Highway from Durango to Telluride
- Climbing Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s tallest mountain (it’s not that hard)
- 1 day spent exploring Denver, which was surprisingly fun!
As always, please ask any questions in the comments below. I’ll be sure to answer!
