The Perfect Colorado Springs Weekend Trip: A 3-Day Itinerary
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Looking for a weekend getaway that mixes city amenities with outdoor activities? A Colorado Springs weekend trip is perfect for this! The city is centrally located near all kinds of outdoor adventures and has amazing mountain views, even from in the city.
Colorado Springs is surrounded by mountains, adventurous activities, family-friendly activities, and unique attractions. This 3-day Colorado Springs itinerary includes hiking, places to relax, and the major sights. While there are other activities you could add to your Colorado Springs weekend trip, this itinerary hits all of the highlights for a short weekend getaway.
Day 1: Garden of the Gods and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Start your first day of your Colorado Springs weekend getaway with a trip to one of the most recognizable places in Colorado Springs – the Garden of the Gods. This park is open to the public and free to enter. Stop by the information center to learn more about the park and check out the small gift shop. They do also have people there who can help with planning your hiking routes and answer any questions.
Head into the park to see the amazing red rock formations. Walk along the path through the main area or head out on a longer hike. There are 21 miles worth of trails in the Garden of the Gods, so there is plenty to explore! There are also jeep tours if you want something a little more guided.
After your hike, head to the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. This is the largest and oldest gift shop in Colorado and is super fun to explore for a little bit and do some shopping. They also have a little food court-type area inside with a counter for coffee and ice cream and another counter for food. The food here is actually pretty decent and good for a quick bite if you don’t want to have to stop somewhere else along the way and have a full sit-down meal.
After lunch, head to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This zoo is frequently rated as one of the best zoos in the United States. I think that is mostly because of the scenic mountain views from everywhere in this zoo, but they did have some cool exhibits.
I did find a few of the exhibits to be a little bit underwhelming, but the mountain views made up for it, and we had just been to the Omaha Zoo a few days before and nothing can really compete with the Omaha Zoo.
All around, the zoo is definitely worth checking out for a couple of hours. I particularly enjoy the exhibits for the local Colorado animals and the reptile house. Note that you do need to purchase tickets in advance from their website!
After your trip to the zoo, freshen up in your hotel room and then head to downtown Colorado Springs. The downtown area has a ton of great restaurants, so enjoy dinner and drinks at whatever restaurant speaks to you.
Day 2: Hiking and Old Colorado City
On the morning of the second day of your Colorado Springs weekend trip, choose a nearby hike! I recommend either going to North Cheyenne Cañon Park and doing the Seven Bridges hike or going to Red Rock Canyon Open Space and choosing a hike there. Both of these parks offer a variety of different hikes at different levels, so there are plenty of options. For more hiking ideas near Colorado Springs, see my post on the best hikes near Colorado Springs.
Be sure to bring the proper hiking gear for your hike! Wear hiking boots or shoes and bring plenty of water and some snacks. Bring sun protection, especially if you’re doing the Red Rock Canyon Open Space hikes, and always check the weather before heading out. Downloading trail maps to your phone in advance can also be super helpful.
After your hike, freshen up in your hotel room and then head to Old Colorado City for lunch. Old Colorado City is a neighborhood in Colorado Springs with a bunch of cute little shops and great restaurants. For restaurants, I recommend Pizzeria Rustica – this might be the best pizza I’ve ever had, and their desserts and appetizers are amazing too.
After lunch, explore the shops and art galleries in Old Colorado City. When things start to close down, head to one of the many local breweries for dinner and drinks.
Day 3: Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs
We’ll start the third day of your Colorado Springs weekend trip by heading to the nearby town of Manitou Springs for breakfast. I personally ate at Toasted (bistro) and I loved the food there. They serve breakfast and lunch, so you can squeeze it in later in the day if you don’t go here for breakfast. You could also try Adam’s Mountain Cafe or Persephone Grae’s Cafe & Juice Bar.
For day 3, you’re going to head up Pikes Peak. There are a few ways to do this – you can take the train, drive up Pikes Peak Highway (or take a tour), or you can hike it. Hiking up Pikes Peak is incredibly challenging, and you will want to get a much earlier start than we do in this itinerary. Do not attempt to hike it if you are not prepared for it. You will also most likely want to do this on a longer trip if you are interested to allow for more time to acclimate to the higher elevations.
If you’re driving up Pikes Peak, you can start to head up there after breakfast. It will take you a couple of hours to make it to the top. There is a visitor center at the summit with a gift shop and food inside. Once you get to the top, spend some time enjoying the views before you drive back down. It will be much colder at the top, so be sure to pack some layers.
The third option is to take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the top. They highly recommend purchasing your tickets in advance on their website. If you choose this option, plan to be over there about 30 minutes before the time for your ticket.
The train ride takes about an hour to get to the summit and they have an employee telling jokes and pointing out interesting things along the way. Once you get to the top, you can spend 40 minutes before the train leaves to go back down. Do NOT miss your train, especially if it is the last train of the day.
Regardless of how you choose to go up Pikes Peak, it will take at least a few hours. When you get back down from the summit or if you need to kill some time before you head to the top, the nearby shopping area in Manitou Springs is super cute and fun to walk around and explore the shops. They even have an arcade!
For dinner, either pick somewhere in Manitou Springs if you’re still out shopping, or head back to Colorado Springs and spend some time relaxing over dinner and drinks at a local restaurant.
Colorado Springs makes for a great weekend getaway! In just a few short days, you can have plenty of outdoor adventures, mountain views, and interesting things to see.
For more Colorado weekend trip ideas, see my post on the best weekend trips from Denver! Or if you’d like to see my method for planning weekend trips, check out my post on planning weekend getaways and sign up for my newsletter to get your free Weekend Getaway Planner!
Have you been to Colorado Springs? What was your favorite part of your trip? Let me know in the comments!
