Wander From Home: Hiking Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado
By Derek
Colorado Springs calls to the wild side in all of us. A journey here will turn you into an adventure traveler for life. As crowds pack nearby Pikes Peak, Cheyanne Mountain’s underrated, but spectacular, hiking trails and breathtaking views are just what the doctor ordered for anyone suffering from cabin fever.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park offers exceptional hiking, walking, and mountain biking. With over 20 miles of trails ranging from the basic, “I’ve never hiked in the mountains before” level, all the way up to the blisteringly, excessively, dauntingly challenging, it’s a must visit for all who live for the outdoors.
A dizzy array of varied topography will make you feel like you’re in multiple places at once: desert terrain on winding paths of southwestern color palettes, cacti, succulents, and the occasional rattle snake. Then, you’re gazing out onto valleys of lush greenery, grasses, and sunny treetops, mountains casting shadows onto the trails below. Finally, as your elevation climbs, so do the trees towering above you — woody pines and smells of the evergreen guide you through narrow meandering trails, as cool mountain breezes weave through the branches and boulders and onto your sweat-soaked face. This experience summarizes one of the best days in mountains you can have, surely to satisfy all trailheads alike.
You start with the desert terrain. The summer heat. The sand. The cacti. The rattle snakes.
Views of Cheyenne Mountain plank your peripheral vision throughout the hike.
Reaching different heights offer incredible lookout points.
The further you go, the deeper into the trees and greener you get. Eventually, desert transforms to cooler colors and temps.
Enjoy the rest of the images of Cheyenne Mountain State Park:
Wander From Home
Bite-sized travel stories, vignettes, tips and daydreams to pass the time until we can travel again.
From Derek Franks & Ashlea Bogner
