5 day Amazing Workation in Colorado Springs
2021 has been a year of visiting small and vibrant mountain towns. Check out our Missoula post to look into one of them. To continue the rally, our next natural choice was Colorado Springs, Colorado. Now that we are like pros in long drives, we decided to drive all the way from Colorado Springs from Minneapolis starting on a Friday afternoon. Tired with 8 hours of drive , decided to call it for the night in Continental Suites, Lincoln, Nebraska. Next day given we had additional of 9 hours more of the trip, decided to grab a hearty breakfast at Virginia Cafe in Lincoln.
If you have to pick a place to spend your workation week , Colorado Springs is a good choice as it is nestled an hour away from Denver, equidistant from most of the hikes and you can explore all neighboring mountain towns with couple of hours. Moreover its the closest city to visit Great Sand Dunes as well.
Piano in Airbnb. Perks of Workation
Usually I don’t rant about my place of stay, but given this was a workation it was equally important for us to pick a good Airbnb. And to our luck, this Airbnb in downtown Colorado fit the bill. Little did we know it had a baby piano and all sorts of wonderful reads in its mini library shelf. Only if I knew how to play a piano!
This was our first experience as a workation, so our day would start at 5AM, work until 2:30PM and spend the next 7 hours enjoying in and around Colorado Springs.
ProTip: If you plan on driving to Colorado Springs do stop in North Platte Town and grab a lunch at the Espresso Shop. I fell in love with their paninis.
Below is an itinerary of the places we visited daily:
Day 1: Sunday (Great Sand Dunes National Park)
Given we had the full day to ourselves we decided to visit the Great Sand Dunes. Plan to reach ahead early morning as the sand gets hotter as the day progresses, thereby making hiking/walking on the sand more difficult. We reached right at 9AM when the visitor center opens. Be aware of the ~8170 feet altitude of the Great Sand Dunes if you are new to the area as the heat and dry air can take the best out of you. We attempted the High Dune Trail but were only able to complete up to with 75% of it. But I can definitely guarantee to you it was worth it. From there we ate at Sonic and dove to River Gorge National Park. Due to high winds, the zip-lining and gondola rides were closed. So check ahead if you are interested if you are planning those activities. Nonetheless, the walk on the bridge across the gorge was worth the entry fee.
ProTip: On the sand, dont forget to wear/carry a bandana or a scraf in case of sand winds blowing on your face. Also its easiest to walk bare feet as walking with shoes can get difficult. If you are not comfortable with bare-feet, wear socks.
Day 2: Monday (Broadmoor Seven Falls)
Honestly, Monday was a bit chaotic.We started with Garden of the Gods at around 2:30PM, did a short stroll and then headed to Broadmoor Seven Falls. There is an entry fee for the Seven Falls and the only way to reach there is this. Arrive at the Norris Penrose Event Center, board the shuttle that takes you to Seven Falls(You will require a mask onboard the shuttle, if you decide to visit in the covid19 pandemic). On reaching the Seven Falls Area, we decided to hike to the Inspiration point.
I must say it was one of the best hikes of that week. The view point at the end of the hike was secluded but the view was serene with pine forests all round and crazy wind. We ended the day with scrumptious meal at Lucky Dumplings(Do not miss this place if you are in the area.Their crab fried rice is delicious.)
Day 3: Tuesday (Breckenridge)
Originally long before our trip, we had booked tickets to the take the Cog Railway to Pikes Peak Mountain at 2:45 PM. However that did not go through , as the schedule was pre poned due to construction and we did not get the communication email on time to make it to the Pikes Peak. One good news was that we were refunded in full.
So we had to shift our plans, and this is what we decided. We buckled our seats and drove all the way to Breckenridge, cute little town which is adobe to skiing enthusiasts. We were not at all dissapointed by this. The fall colors at the Boreas pass were beautiful even though the road to drive there very rough. Spent some time roaming Breckendridge and then got to witness of the best twilight views on our way back on Highway 9.
Day 4: Wednesday (America's Mountain Zoo)
Today was a day to feed giraffes. Yes, you heard that right! Colorado Springs is home to America's Mountain Zoo, voted 4th best in North America. The best part of the zoo for me was to see the baby elephants having giant trees as their evening snacks. From there we went to the 5 start Broadmoor Hall. Our initial thought was to sip some cocktails at the Broadmoor bars but we resorted to an awesome dessert in their in house bakery.This was our wine and pizza night, so ended the day at Fat Sully's pizza with a Oregon classic red.
Day 5: Thursday (Manitou Incline)
This was one of the most memorable days of my life. So here a personal record , we climbed the 2744 steps of Manitou Incline in 100 minutes. Early morning we had a bet that if I complete this, my husband would treat me for dinner. Honestly that was my motivation. All through my hike , the part that felt difficult were steps 1100-1500. I would definitely recommend to do this incline post noon as the sun would be on the opposite side. Make sure you are well hydrated as your progress through the hike. After reaching the top, we started descending from the Barr Trail, winding all the way down for a total of 2 hours.By sunset we reached the bottom.We ended the day at Zaika Indian Cuisine with some comfort food. With great achievement comes great reward, so I had to take the cheesecake slice from Marigold cafe.
Reaching to the top of Manitou Incline
ProTip: Park at 100 Oldman's Trail and take the shuttle to go to the Manitou Incline trailhead.
