We arrived into town in the late afternoon, and had some time to kill before we headed to dinner. So we decided to check out Red Rock Canyon for some outdoor time and an easy, kid friendly hike.
This 1,400 acre city park in Colorado Springs is full of stunning sandstone rock formations and has tons of hiking and mountain biking trails, along with dog friendly paths as well. The day we visited, there was hardly anyone there and we had the trails to ourselves. We loved exploring the beautiful rock formations, the lush summer greenery, and looking for wildlife. We didn’t have to hike long or far to see lots of beautiful views, which makes this a perfect place to wander with littles.
After we finished up our hike, we grabbed a couple of pizzas from Slice 420- which was fantastic by the way- and headed to our AirBnb to get settled for the night.
On day 2, we headed to Santa’s Workshop amusement park, which is located at the foot of Pikes peak, and is about 25 minutes from downtown Colorado Springs.
If your kids love Christmas, do not miss this place! Home to Santa’s village and themed all things holiday, it’s fun to visit this all year round. There are over 2 dozen rides designed specifically for kids, including several open to kids of all ages and heights. The sky tram, kiddie roller coaster and ferris wheel were favorites of my kids, and don’t miss the highest ferris wheel in North America, which is located here.
We also watched a magic show, met Santa, found some unique souvenirs, and ate some really great treats while we were here. We spent most of the day here- there is just so much to do!
Hours are seasonal, check their website for the most up to date information.
After we left Santa’s Workshop, we headed to downtown Manitou Springs for dinner and to play the penny arcades. This is such a fun area, and there is so much to see here! There are tons of fantastic shops to enjoy, and so many places to choose from to eat.
Even though my kids were pretty young during our visit, they still had a blast playing the vintage arcade games. Unfortunately most of them cost more than a penny nowadays, but they do have several change machines that will dispense quarters. After you are done playing and collecting tickets, make sure you head over to the ticket counter to redeem them for a prize.
The next morning, we headed to Cheyenne Mountain zoo, which is located on the side of Cheyenne mountain overlooking the city of Colorado Springs. This zoo is so much fun, and has such a unique layout and stunning views.
We bought a couple of bundles of lettuce to feed the giraffes, which is definitely one of our favorite parts of this zoo! There are so many of them, and they will grab it right out of your hand! We also loved riding on the Mountaineer Sky ride.
We brought our wagon on this day, and we definitely got a workout pushing it up the steep incline of this zoo. Be prepared for lots of walking (and carrying your tired kiddos), because climbing this mountain zoo is intense!
After we finished our day at the zoo, we hopped in our car and drove back through the zoo to the Shrine of the Sun. This historic monument is only accessible from the zoo entrance, and your zoo admission will let you pass through the gate to enter. The building sits at an elevation of over 8,000 feet and offers a spectacular view of the Pikes peak region.
We headed to Canyon City first thing in the morning, and started our day there by hitting the scenic 2 ½ mile Skyline Drive. It overlooks the city of Canyon City, and the views are breathtaking. The road is one way, and there are a couple spots you can pull over and get out to enjoy the view.
After we finished this scenic drive, we stopped at Tunnels Drive to hike the short, family-friendly 2 mile trail. This hike is located about a mile from downtown Canyon City. You hike along the Arkansas River, and have stunning views of the surrounding canyons, as well as views of the Royal Gorge train route.
You hike through several large, granite blasted tunnels on the path. The tunnels are beyond cool, and my kids absolutely loved walking through them. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife- we saw several long horned sheep above one of the tunnels!
After we finished our hike, we headed to the Royal Gorge train depot in downtown Canyon City. We ordered lunch when we boarded the train, and as soon as we finished eating we headed out to the open air car to soak up the views as we headed through the gorge. Once you get through the canyon, the train stops and travels in reverse for the trip back to the depot, which gives you another chance to see the canyon.
After we got the train, we headed outside to the awesome playground right across the street from the depot. Centennial park has an awesome playground for kids to run and climb on. Veterans park right across the street has a neat bridge to cross the Arkansas river, and lots of area to run around and explore. When we were there, we saw a black bear up in one of the trees right at the edge of the park!
If you love viewing the Royal Gorge from the train, make sure to head over and explore the bridge! You can walk out over the gorge, or have dinner in the restaurant overlooking it. A thunderstorm blew in that afternoon, and we didn’t feel comfortable out on the bridge with lightning, so unfortunately we decided to skip this. But if you are in the area, definitely add this to your list!
You can read more about our day in Canyon City here.
After breakfast, we headed to the base of Pikes peak to make the drive up the 14,000 foot tall mountain. You are required to have a reservation to travel to the summit (which we decided against; you can read more about that here). We wanted to get up the mountain before the roads got super busy, so we were in line to head up the mountain at around 8:30am.
We drove up to Devil’s Playground, which is the 16-mile point, and stopped to take pictures and soak up the view. This is the last stop before the summit, and since we decided not to go all the way to the top, we turned around here.
On our way back down the mountain, we pulled over at Glen Cove to get out and explore. It’s very scenic here, and a great place to get out and explore a little. We parked in the parking lot and wandered around the gift shop, used the restroom, and headed up the stairs to the south of the parking lot. There are a few trails to hike, some great photo ops, and the chance to see some wildlife up close.
After we made it back down Pikes peak, we headed back to Manitou Springs for some lunch. We explored the downtown area and did a little shopping, then headed over to play at the penny arcades again. Our kids had so much fun, it was great to have a little more time to spend here. After spending the afternoon in Manitou Springs, we grabbed some takeout and headed back to our AirBnb for dinner and some downtime.
On our last day in Colorado Springs, we ate a quick breakfast in our hotel and then headed to Cave of the Winds. We chose to do the family cave tour- a 60 minute walking tour of a lit portion of the cave. We learned about the history and geology of the cave and saw some of the stunning formations. It’s very dark during some parts, so I would definitely recommend baby wearing if you have an infant or toddler with you. Our Tula worked perfectly, and opened up our hands to help with our bigger kids.
After our tour was over, we let our kids try out some gem mining, which they always love. There is also a challenge course, rock climbing wall, a fun slide and zipline. Definitely a great way to spend the morning!
Check hours and admission rates here.
After we finished at Cave of the Wind, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Garden of the Gods for some exploring. Another stunningly beautiful park full of red rock formations and breathtaking views, we had a blast wandering around and admiring the scenery. There are tons of places to climb, jump and crawl. The day we visited, it was rather crowded and parking was difficult to find, so I would recommend going early in the day to beat some of the crowds.
Colorado Springs is such a great place to visit with a family! With so many family friendly options, it is hard to narrow it down to a weeks worth of activities! If you have visited before, what are your favorite things to do here? Let me know in the comments!