How to Use This Guide

Take a close enough look, and you’ll find that this guide contains just about everything you need to choose and enjoy a hike near Colorado Springs. Here’s an outline of the book’s major components.

Each hike starts with a short summary of the hike’s highlights. These quick overviews give you a taste of the hiking adventures to follow. You’ll learn about the trail terrain and what surprises each route has to offer.

Following the overview you’ll find the hike specs: quick, nitty-gritty details of the hike. Most are self-explanatory, but here are some details on others:

Distance: The total distance of the recommended route—one-way for loop hikes, the round-trip on an out-and-back or lollipop hike, point-to-point for a shuttle. Options are additional.

Hiking time: The average time it will take to cover the route. It is based on the total distance, elevation gain, and condition and difficulty of the trail. Your fitness level will also affect your time.

Difficulty: Each hike has been assigned a level of difficulty. The rating system was developed from several sources and personal experience. These levels are meant to be a guideline only and may prove easier or harder for different people depending on ability and physical fitness.

Easy—Five miles or less total trip distance in one day, with minimal elevation gain, and paved or smooth-surfaced dirt trail.

Moderate—Up to 10 miles total trip distance in one day, with moderate elevation gain and potentially rough terrain.

Strenuous—More than 10 miles total trip distance in one day, strenuous elevation gains, and/or rough or rocky terrain.

Trail surface: General information about what to expect underfoot.

Seasons: General information on the best time of year to hike.

Schedule: Days and hours the trail and visitor center, offices, etc. are open to the public. Unless restrictions are stated, the trail is open 24 hours, and if the park is open, the trails are open.

Other trail users: Such as horseback riders, mountain bikers, inline skaters, etc.

Canine compatibility: Know the trail regulations before you take your dog hiking with you. Dogs are not allowed on several trails in this book.

Land status: National forest, county open space, national park wilderness, etc.

Fees and permits: Whether you need to carry any money with you for park entrance fees and permits.

Maps: This is a list of other maps to supplement the maps in this book. USGS maps are the best source for accurate topographical information, but the local park map may show more recent trails. Use both.

Trail contacts: This is the location, phone number, and website URL for the local land manager(s) in charge of all the trails within the selected hike. Before you head out, get trail access information, or contact the land manager after your visit if you see problems with trail erosion, damage, or misuse.

Other: Other information that will enhance your hike.

Special considerations: This section calls your attention to specific trail hazards, like hunting seasons or a lack of water, and other safety information.

The Finding the trailhead section gives you dependable driving directions to where you’ll want to park, as well as GPS coordinates for the start of the hike. The Hike is the meat of the chapter. Detailed and honest, it’s a carefully researched impression of the trail. It also often includes lots of area history, both natural and human. Under Miles and Directions, mileage cues identify all turns and trail name changes, as well as points of interest. Options are also given for many hikes to make your journey shorter or longer depending on the amount of time you have.

Don’t feel restricted to the routes and trails that are mapped here. Be adventurous and use this guide as a platform to discover new routes for yourself.

How to Use the Maps

Overview map: This map shows the location of each hike in the Colorado Springs area by hike number.

Route map: This is your primary guide to each hike. It shows all of the accessible roads and trails, points of interest, water, landmarks, and geographical features. It also distinguishes trails from roads, and paved roads from unpaved roads. The selected route is highlighted, and directional arrows point the way.