Ideas for Families Visiting Colorado Springs

Families traveling to Colorado should plan to spend a few days in the Colorado Springs area. Between natural wonders, Native American sights, a zoo and a mountain cog railway ride, kids will have plenty to do there.

The chairlift crossing Cheyenne Mountain Zoo adds appeal for children, as well as gives a good view of the animals living there. The zoo’s emphasis is on getting close to animals: A sky bridge in the award-winning Encounter Africa exhibit allows visitors to walk side-by-side with elephants, and you can observe a black rhinoceros from a cantilevered bush plane.

You’ll see snow-capped Pikes Peak from anywhere in Colorado Springs, and you can visit its summit on Pikes Peak Highway or take Pikes Peak Cog Railway for a scenic three-hour roundtrip. At the top is a visitor center where you can enjoy a meal or sample world-famous donuts.

At Mesa Verde National Park, climb the ladders into the cliff dwellings and adobe homes built by Ancestral Pueblos, who lived there more than 1,000 years ago. These are the most dramatic of the various cliff dwellings in the Southwest, and even if you don’t reserve ahead to climb into the dwellings themselves, you’ll still have plenty of viewpoints. Trails lead throughout the park, where you can find petroglyphs and other sites.

The strange shapes of the red sandstone formations at Garden of the Gods, just outside Colorado Springs, are dramatic works of nature, formed nearly 300 million years ago. You can tour on a loop road or stop to follow the hiking trails.