Colorado What To Do›Regions›Southern Colorado
Southern Colorado
From the red rocks below Pikes Peak to the tallest sand dunes in North America, southern Colorado packs the state's most varied landscapes into a few hours of driving.
What are the best things to do in southern Colorado?
Southern Colorado's top experiences are Garden of the Gods and the drive or cog railway up Pikes Peak in the Colorado Springs area, the mineral springs of Manitou Springs, the Royal Gorge Bridge and Arkansas River rafting near Cañon City, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in the San Luis Valley, and the quieter historic towns of Pueblo and Trinidad.
Southern Colorado is the part of the state that most surprises first-time visitors. Within a day's drive you go from a city of nearly half a million people to the tallest dunes on the continent to a high desert valley ringed by fourteeners.
The region starts about an hour south of Denver in the Pikes Peak region around Colorado Springs, which sits at roughly 6,000 feet. Head southwest and you reach Cañon City and the Royal Gorge; continue over the mountains and you drop into the San Luis Valley, a vast flat basin at about 7,500 feet. To the southeast, Pueblo and Trinidad sit on the plains below the Spanish Peaks.
Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs
The Pikes Peak Region
Garden of the Gods, on the west side of Colorado Springs, is a city park of towering red sandstone fins and a registered National Natural Landmark. It was given to the city in 1909 on the condition that it remain free to the public, and it still is. Paved paths around the central formations are easy for all ages, and the visitor center has a good view of the rocks with Pikes Peak behind them. Go early on summer weekends.
Pikes Peak, at 14,115 feet, is the mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful" in 1893. There are three ways up:
- The Pikes Peak Highway, a toll road of about 19 miles from Cascade to the summit. In summer the city requires a timed reservation for private vehicles driving to the summit, and admission is sold separately.
- The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway from Manitou Springs, which reopened in 2021 after a rebuild.
- The Barr Trail, a strenuous hike of about 13 miles one way with roughly 7,500 feet of climbing.
At the summit, the visitor center serves the famous high-altitude doughnuts. The summit is cold and windy even in summer, and the altitude can hit hard after a fast ascent.
Manitou Springs, at the foot of the peak, is a quirky historic town with free public mineral springs you can taste, the steep Manitou Incline, and the Cave of the Winds above town. In Colorado Springs, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, which opened in 2020, and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, on the mountainside above the city, round out a family day.
Cañon City
The Royal Gorge And The Arkansas River
About an hour southwest of Colorado Springs, the Arkansas River cuts the Royal Gorge, a canyon more than 1,000 feet deep. The Royal Gorge Bridge, a suspension bridge about 956 feet above the river, is the centerpiece of a park with a gondola, zip lines and other rides. Below, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad runs scenic trains through the canyon floor from Cañon City, and rafting outfitters run trips through the gorge's whitewater.
The Arkansas Valley upstream, between Cañon City and Salida, is one of the busiest rafting corridors in the country, with stretches suitable for families as well as advanced paddlers. Our central high country guide covers Browns Canyon.
On Colorado Highway 165 in the Wet Mountains southwest of Pueblo, Bishop Castle is a sprawling stone castle built over decades by one man, Jim Bishop. It is free to visit, and climbing the towers is entirely at your own risk.
The San Luis Valley
Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve
On the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve holds the tallest dunes in North America, piled against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The highest, Star Dune, rises roughly 750 feet from the valley floor.
What to know:
- The sand gets hot. Summer afternoon sand temperatures can exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Climb in the early morning or evening, and wear closed shoes.
- Medano Creek flows across the base of the dunes in late spring and early summer, typically peaking in late May or early June, when families wade and splash in the shallow water. In dry years the flow is short or minimal.
- Sandboarding and sand sledding are allowed on the dunes with equipment designed for sand, rented outside the park.
- The night sky is exceptional. The park is an International Dark Sky Park.
Elsewhere in the valley, Zapata Falls is a short hike to a waterfall hidden in a narrow cleft, and the small towns of Alamosa, Crestone and Monte Vista are bases for exploring. In March, tens of thousands of sandhill cranes stop around Monte Vista; see our companion site's wildlife calendar.
Pueblo, Trinidad and the southeast
Pueblo, The Spanish Peaks And Dinosaur Tracks
Pueblo has a walkable riverwalk downtown, a strong Hispanic heritage, and the chile that bears its name. It hosts the Colorado State Fair at the end of summer. South along I-25, Trinidad is a brick-street historic town near the New Mexico line, close to the twin Spanish Peaks and the Highway of Legends scenic byway.
On the eastern plains southeast of La Junta, Picketwire Canyonlands in the Comanche National Grassland preserves one of the largest dinosaur trackways in North America, reached by a long hike or bike ride or a guided Forest Service auto tour. Nearby, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is a reconstructed 1830s adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail.
Common questions
Southern Colorado Questions
Is Garden of the Gods free?
Yes. Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs is free to enter. It was donated to the city in 1909 on the condition that it remain free to the public.
How do you get to the top of Pikes Peak?
You can drive the Pikes Peak Highway, which requires a timed reservation for private vehicles in summer, ride the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway from Manitou Springs, or hike the Barr Trail, a strenuous climb of about 13 miles one way.
When is the best time to visit Great Sand Dunes?
Late spring is popular because Medano Creek usually flows at the base of the dunes from late May into June. Fall is also excellent, with cooler sand and fewer visitors. In summer, climb early in the morning, because the sand surface can become dangerously hot by afternoon.
Sources
- City of Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods Parkpark information and history
- City of Colorado Springs: Pikes Peak, America's Mountainhighway reservations and admission
- Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railwayrailway information
- National Park Service: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preservedunes, Medano Creek, safety
- Royal Gorge Bridge and Parkbridge height
- U.S. Forest Service: Picketwire Canyonlands, Comanche National Grasslanddinosaur tracksite access
- National Park Service: Bent's Old Fort National Historic Sitesite information