Colorado Springs
- Shawn Wadsworth
- Apr 28
- 6 min read
This is a change of pace vacation destination with my oldest Daughter, 14 years old at the time. We focused on a outdoor mountainous adventure trip. This trip was based around a Spartan Obsticle Race. I had completed 3 Spartan 5K Obsticle raced and my daughter showed interest in completing a race and getting a finisher's medal!
Driving to our AirBNB in Colorado Springs. We stayed in this amazing, 2 bedroom AirBNB with a washer, dryer and full kitchen. With a outdoor adventure and a Spartan race that we will get dirty and muddy, we need a washer and dryer in the rental! This location was perfectly located, easy to get to with easy parking.
My daughter is a paris type of girl, so I always look for a chic location for her, usually with a chandelier, haha. This AirBNB was beatiful, clean and perfect for our trip.
Our first full day in Colorado Springs we decided to tackle the Manitou Incline, maybe foolishly given we have a Spartan 5K race in 3 days. From a distance you can see the incline parting up the mountain. Trust me, it the view does not do it justice.
The Incline extends over 2,000 vertical feet with 2,768 steps. The morning we tacked this it was very foggy and we could only see a 100 or so feet in front of us. This was bittersweet, as we could not tell how much farther we had to go. The down side is the views as we ascended were limited.
On the way up there are a few spots that you can bail on a trail to go back down. They do warn you that the full climb can take up to 3-4 hours, so any medical emergency is going to be delayed for first responders.
There have have been bear sightings on the trail, so it is advised to bring Bear spray!!!
You can tell when we started getting into the fog.
The nice part of the fog is it was not hot on this day. Given the work needed to make this climb for the first time I was greatful to not be losing more water by sweating in the heat.
Every few hundred steps is a plaque to let you know where you are. This was helpful given the fog and we could not see the top until we were within 100 steps of the top.
Not going to lie, we misread the sign at the begining and thought we were half way when we were only about 1/3 the way up.
It is very important to bring water with you and snacks. The hydration packs were a life saver!!
Almost to the top, after a couple false summits in the fog. Finally made it to the top!
At this point my legs were so sore and shaking. Now the trek back down on a 3 mile path back down to the ground level.
The trail back down was very windy, but had great views!
Below is a view of the start of the incline taken on a different day without the fog. This is around the first 150 of the 2,768 steps. I will say, I got Keen hiking shoes for this trip and spent 4 weeks breaking them in walking around my neighborhood before the trip and these shoes were great. Comfy, no blisters and waterproof. Highly recommend.
Day 3: We traveled 2 hours to Salida, CO to go whitewater rafting for the first time at Independent Whitewater.
The Mountain views never get old!!, Such a beautiful drive!!
I picked Independent Whitewater because they own a few more miles of land at the end of the rafting area. This gave a longer trip with more rapids. We did the half day rafting trip.
After you check in you can walk down tot he stream and they have a bar called, The Drift In Bar and Grill.
Get some food before the trip and sit out by the rolling stream with dogs roaming around.
This was a beautiful and relaxing area to sit and socialize.
We did not take our phones, so we did not risk losing them. Independent Whitewater had a staff member set up down strem to get good action shots.
The rapids were great and challenging for a beginner.
The water is very cold, so they have you in a wetsuit. It can get a little warm in the suit but your feet are out. I wore my Keen sandals and it allowed for good grip and cooling off with the cold water.
We did not flip or fall out of the boat. There were other companies taking rafts down and we did see some rowdy groups and one did flip their boat!!
During a nice relaxing part of the float we did see mountain goats and had one perfectly standing a top the cliff on the edge. We all got to take in the moment with no phones or cameras. Part of me wished I had a picture but there is something special in this digital age to have a mometn with my daughter and the others in the boat that we shared this magical moment with full concentration and no distraction.
Day 4: We woke up early to take the first train on the Cog Railway up to the top of Pikes Peak. You do have to buy tickets before the day to get good seats. You want to sit on the left side of the train either in the front ca of back car to get the best views.
The view starts with little to no snow, but as we incline the snow becomes more and more.
The views as we get higher are amazing.
Views at the top are breathtaking!!! It is very cold up this high.
The information center at the top has a gift shot and a small cafeteria. You only have about 40min at the top before needing to get back on your train, so it is improtant to get off the train and rush in first to get any food and drinks then enjoy the views before heading back down.
They are famous for their donuts at the Information Center. The Cinnamon sugar donuts were a chefs kiss at the top. The Hot Chocolate was good but was so hot that we could only enjoy a couple sips before we had to get back on the train and could not taken it with us.
This view....need I say more?!?!?!
Once returning to the base, the snow and cold disappears and we can explore the shopping area and get lunch.
Main street here has so many shops, small fooderies and a lot of ice cream shops! The parking hee was insane! It did take about 30 min to find a paid parking spot.
We landed on Hell's Kitchen Pizza for lunch. The smell was amazing and they were busy but did not have a long line.
The pizza was sold by the slice and freshly made in the ovens seen from the dining room. My daughter is fairly picky with her food and she loved this pizza.
In the afternoon, we explored the Garden of the Gods!
The red rocks here are magnificent! A beatiful area great for pictures. There are many people taking Senior pictures and Wedding pictures.
We also saw a number of climbers here.
There are a good number of walking paths throughout the rocks.
The Balanced rocks were very popular for pictures.
DAY 5: The Spartan Obsticle race. We signed up for the 5K.
Get there early, as the check in lines were long.
After checking in, get your gear and water then head to the start line.
Given the trail running, dry and muddy areas I highly recommned wearing a trail shoe. I like the Spartan shoes. The obsticle shoes have good tread for grip and have holes on the side at the sole to drain any water, so it does not pool up in the shoe.
Definately check the Spartan site for a list of possible obsticles to prepare for.
Finished just before the storm rolled in.
Dinner for the last night we were feeling Mexican food. We came across Arceo's Mexican restaurant. It was one of the best authentic mexican restaurants I have every eaten at.
If you like fresh, chunky salsa this is your place. The enchiladas were amazing and so filling.
The Sopapillas were incredible. I love Sopapillas and these were the best. They were light but crispy without being greesy and the sweetness of the honey with whipped cream and strawberry drizzle blew my mind. I crave these. I would travel back just for these!!!!
This is the End for the Colorado trip. I highly recommned Colorado Springs for a family vacation. So many things to do and see. Great place to stay active, push yourself and make bonding memories with your kids!!
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