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Most visitors to southeast Colorado don't venture much further than the neighboring population centers of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, which snuggle up to the foothills of the vast Southern Front Range. With gorgeous vistas and parks galore, each has an eclectic mix of galleries and museums and a wealth of family-friendly attractions that are activity-based, fun and informative. Throw in a vibrant dining and craft-brewery scene and there's no shortage of ways to keep occupied.
Those who do venture off the beaten track into the mountains will be rewarded with expansive wilderness, endless skies and relics of days gone by. Adventurers will want to head to Cañon City to ride the rapids of the dramatic Royal Gorge or kit up their packs to explore the area's hundreds of miles of pine-shaded or open-range walking trails.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Southern Front Range.
Park
This gorgeous vein of red sandstone (about 290 million years old) appears elsewhere along Colorado's Front Range, but the exquisitely thin cathedral spires and mountain backdrop of the Garden of the Gods are particularly striking. Explore the network of paved and unpaved trails, enjoy a picnic and watch climbers test their nerve on the sometimes flaky rock.
Mountain
Pikes Peak (14,110ft) may not be the tallest of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, but it's certainly the most famous. The Ute originally called it the Mountain of the Sun, an apt description for this majestic peak, which crowns the southern Front Range. Rising 7400ft straight up from the plains, more than half a million visitors climb it every year.
Archaeological Site
In 1873 Dr AC Peale, as part of the USGS Hayden expedition, was on his way to survey and map the South Park area, when he reputedly discovered these ancient lake deposits, which were buried by the dust and ash from a series of volcanic eruptions. Located 17 miles north of Cripple Creek, the site has since been recognized as one of the greatest collections of Eocene fossils (34 million years old) on the planet, though unfortunately most of it lies beneath your feet.
Museum
This expansive museum and 400-seat theater originally opened in 1936. The museum’s collection is surprisingly sophisticated, with some terrific Latin American art and photography, and great rotating exhibits that draw from the 20,000 pieces in its permanent collection. There is a strong focus on Native American, Hispanic and Spanish Colonial art. Check the calendar for live performances in the theater space.
Museum
This fun dinosaur center is located in Woodland Park, 14 miles west of Manitou Springs. The kids won’t want to miss this private museum owned by working paleontologists, where you can watch lab techs assemble casts and clean fossils from digs across the western states, from Montana to Texas.
Park
A former quarry and part of the sandstone vein that runs through the Garden of the Gods, this 787-acre park was nearly developed into a golf course and townhouses. Thanks to committed residents who fought the good fight, however, it's now a fabulous local park, where you can hike, mountain bike and rock climb, without all the tourist hoopla.
Bridge
In 1929 this 1260ft-long suspension bridge was built across the 950ft-deep Royal Gorge, which stretches for 10 miles west of Cañon City. The bridge and surrounding area became a popular tourist attraction until a wildfire in 2013 ravaged the Royal Gorge landscape and destroyed the vast majority of park attractions, miraculously sparing the bridge. The park has since been rebuilt and features aerial gondolas, rides and a theater. For daredevils, additional zipline and skycoaster packages are available (from $89).
Museum
This museum is set in the old Teller County Jail, which rather remarkably operated from 1901 all the way until 1992 when the ACLU filed the lawsuit that made them upgrade. You'll be able to explore the tiny 6.5ft-by-9ft cells that held six men each. The men slept on hammocks, practically on top of one another. There's even a solitary confinement cell where one of the Wild Bunch was held briefly.
Archaeological Site
This set of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings was carved into the red-rock hills just east of Manitou Springs off Hwy 24. You’ll see the adobe facades and get a feel for the cool cave interiors with their grain-storage turrets and beamed ceilings in what is a string of half-a-dozen multiple-family homes. Talk about an efficient use of space!