Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs is a city of about 490,000 in the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of El Paso County, the city lies 63 mi south of Denver at the foot of Pikes Peak in South Central Colorado.

Understand
The Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau:

By plane

 * Denver International Airport - 80 miles north of Colorado Springs. Groome Transportation has hourly shuttle service between Colorado Springs and DEN; it is also possible to take the A Line rail to downtown Denver and then Bustang or Greyhound to Colorado Springs.
 * Denver International Airport - 80 miles north of Colorado Springs. Groome Transportation has hourly shuttle service between Colorado Springs and DEN; it is also possible to take the A Line rail to downtown Denver and then Bustang or Greyhound to Colorado Springs.

By car

 * Interstate 25 is the only Interstate, running north-south through the city. Colorado Highway 83 provides a secondary route between East Denver and The Springs.  US Highway 24 connects the city with mountain communities to the West and Limon, Colorado on the Eastern Plains.
 * Denver is 70 miles north on I-25.
 * Albuquerque is about 380 miles south on I-25.

By bus
Greyhound runs bus services up to five times per day from Denver and at least once daily from other cities in Colorado and neighbouring states. The is located at 120 S Weber St in downtown.

Bustang also runs service from Denver and Pueblo.

Get around
Colorado Springs lies along the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains. It runs north-south along I-25, with the Air Force Academy to the North, downtown to the south, and Pikes Peak rising in the west.
 * Mountain Metro Transit
 * Taxi Services

See












Do

 * Hiking, the Pike National Forest to the west, Pikes Peak, and numerous city parks offer ample hiking opportunities.
 * Horseback Riding
 * Cycling
 * Rock Climbing, at Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon (non-marking chalk only, register first at the Garden of the Gods visitor center), and in North Cheyenne Cañon City Park.
 * Cycling
 * Rock Climbing, at Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon (non-marking chalk only, register first at the Garden of the Gods visitor center), and in North Cheyenne Cañon City Park.
 * Rock Climbing, at Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon (non-marking chalk only, register first at the Garden of the Gods visitor center), and in North Cheyenne Cañon City Park.
 * Rock Climbing, at Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon (non-marking chalk only, register first at the Garden of the Gods visitor center), and in North Cheyenne Cañon City Park.




 * Whitewater Rafting on the Arkansas river, about an hour south of town.
 * Pets, Colorado Springs is very dog friendly, with excellent areas for off-leash hiking at Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Palmer Park, and Bear Creek Regional Park.
 * Skate
 * Volleyball
 * Card Games
 * Card Games
 * Card Games

Buy

 * The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway (Near Briargate Pwky & I-25). Shopping, many restaurants.
 * The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway (Near Briargate Pwky & I-25). Shopping, many restaurants.
 * The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway (Near Briargate Pwky & I-25). Shopping, many restaurants.
 * The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway (Near Briargate Pwky & I-25). Shopping, many restaurants.
 * The Promenade Shops at Briargate, 1885 Briargate Parkway (Near Briargate Pwky & I-25). Shopping, many restaurants.

Stay safe
The town is about as safe as Denver, though be aware that Colorado has one of the highest death rates via automobile accidents in the US. So just remember to drive defensively and you'll be fine. Colorado Springs is infamous for speed traps also. Watch out for motorcycle cops (around 5 or 6) along with one or more cruisers waiting to catch you speeding.

The southern part of town is generally less safe than the northern part. Ft. Carson, on the southern edge of town, is a large Army installation bringing in thousands of young, energetic men and women. The businesses that these clients would frequent sometimes attract a rougher crowd. Stay north of Platte or west of Wahsatch, and all should be well.

Wireless Internet



 * Colorado City Creamery, Rockrimmon & Delmonico. Network is secured, information available inside for how to connect.
 * The Daily Grind, 1200 S Tejon St. Free WiFi.
 * Einstein Bros. Café, 4325 Centennial Blvd (at intersection with Garden of the Gods Rd), +1 719 548-8408. Also at Woodmen & Academy.  M-F 5:30AM-6PM, Sa 6AM-4PM, Su 7AM-4PM. Free Wi-Fi.
 * Oldeworld Bagel, 1670 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd Suite A (in the same shopping plaza as Target, near I-25 and Circle), +1 719 527-9651. Free WiFi.
 * Panera Bread, 7344 North Academy Blvd, +1 719 522-1100; 1845 Briargate Parkway +1 719 266-9200; 3120 New Center Point +1 719 637-3500; 1832 Southgate Road +1 719 389-0808. Free wireless; however, after you connect your browser only directs you to Panera's portal until you click on the appropriate link agreeing to their terms of service.
 * Raven's Nest, 330 N Institute Suite #A (SW corner of Institute at Boulder), +1 719 632-3433. M-F 5AM-5:30PM, Sa-Su 7AM-noon. Free WiFi. "A neighborhood gathering place."
 * Rico's Coffee & Wine Bar, 324 N. Tejon St. Free WiFi throughout the cafe with seating in the adjacent bookstore.
 * Serranos Coffee Company, 7335 N Academy Blvd (at Falcon Landing, north of Woodmen on the east side), +1 719 266-0843. Free WiFi. Original store is in Monument.
 * The Summit House, (in the shopping plaza at the corner of Voyager Parkway and Middle Creek in the northernmost part of town, From the north exit I-25 at #156A, take Northgate Road east to Voyager Parkway, turn south; from the south exit I-25 at Interquest Parkway, turn north onto Voyager Parkway), +1 719 488-8893. M-F 6AM-9PM, Sa 7AM-6PM, Su 7AM-5PM. Free WiFi.
 * unwiredaccess.net. Has many customers downtown. They charge a $6 one-time ("lifetime") fee for an account. Then you can use their wireless hotspots  with no further charges (until they go out of business). (Their pricing is different depending on location - the PikesPerk Coffee House on North Academy still uses unwiredaccess.net but does not require a fee.  It's assumed the coffee house is paying for the access).
 * The towns of Monument and Palmer Lake, about 10 miles north of Colorado Springs, also have free wireless access.

Go next

 * Manitou Springs Small historic town and shopping area west of the city, base of the Cog Rail
 * Great Sand Dunes National Park, a national park about 2 hours drive southwest of the city. Trek or slide around  sand dunes.
 * The Arkansas River has rafting, fishing, and the Royal Gorge, about an hour south of town
 * Ski, the closest resorts are Breckenridge and Monarch, each about a two-hour drive.