Best Spring Hikes in Colorado

There is no better way to celebrate the coming of spring than to spend time outdoors in the warming weather. Some of the best hiking trails in Colorado are made even better by the beautiful wildflowers. Seeing these colorful blooms will get you pumped about the new season and all the spring activities around Colorado Springs. Here are a few of our top spring hikes in Colorado.

Canyon Loop Trail at Deer Creek Canyon Park

Length: 3 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Address: 13388 Grizzly Dr, Littleton, CO 80127

Trail Map: here 

Just outside Littleton, Colorado – an easy drive from Colorado Springs – is Deer Creek Canyon Park. This space is great for an easy day hike, and it gets vivid colors during the spring and summer. It is tucked neatly into the foothills, providing both nice views of the surrounding mountains and some peace and quiet from nearby civilization.

You can hike a loop via the Meadowlark and Plymouth Creek Trails and enjoy excellent views from the mild 500-foot elevation gain. Meadowlark is a hiker-only trail, but Plymouth Creek does allow bikers. Just keep this in mind as you explore. You can extend the hike by continuing up Plymouth Creek Trail, though you will have to turn back at some point, and you may find it a steeper incline. 


South Mesa Trail at Boulder Open Space

Length: 4.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Address: 3633 Eldorado Springs Dr, Boulder, CO 80303

Trail Map: here 

This hike is short in mileage but does manage nearly 800 feet of elevation gain, making it a slightly harder easy hike. The benefit of this is that you will get up well into the foothills and earn sweeping views of the surrounding plains. In the spring and summer, the area is covered with vivid Colorado wildflowers. There are also excellent views of the nearby Bear Peak, South Boulder Peak, and El Dorado Mountain.

To hike here, there is a parking lot right at the trailhead and another across the street for the Doudy Draw Trailhead if it gets crowded. If you want to extend the hike, Shadow Canyon is a great way to get in a tough workout and walk the saddle between Bear and South Boulder Peaks. This is a beautiful trip that will excite any nature lovers. While this is a 90-minute drive from downtown Colorado Springs, you will find it an excellent day trip to make in the spring. This is one of the best spring hikes in Colorado thanks to astounding views and colorful, unspoiled land. 

Spruce Mountain Trail at Spruce Mountain Open Space

Length: 5.5 miles

Difficulty: Moderate

Address: 13415 Spruce Mountain Road, Larkspur, CO 80118

Trail Map: here 

Spruce Mountain Open Space offers a beautiful wooded hike that summits to a flat top. The trail is moderate in difficulty, in large part due to the 600 feet in elevation. At the top, you will be rewarded with gorgeous views of Pikes Peak, the Palmer Divide, and the surrounding area as well as the pride of completing a challenging ascent. Between the natural limestone formations and the pine and fir forests, this park easily makes any list of the best hiking trails in Colorado. It is made even better by the explosion of foliage and wildflowers in the spring, so don’t miss this one.

This is a quick trip up from Colorado Springs, just north of Palmer Lake. Keep in mind that horseback riding and mountain biking are both allowed on the Spruce Mountain Trail, so be sure to follow proper trail etiquette on your hike. The park has toilets and water and allows dogs on leashes. It is also a great place to see wildlife near Colorado Springs. All in all, it makes for a great day hike and an excellent way to ring in the coming of some warmer months.

Carpenter Peak Trail at Roxborough State Park

Length: 6.5 miles

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

Address: Parking Lot, Roxborough Park, CO 80125

Trail Map: here

Roxborough State Park is a gorgeous 4,000-acre park northwest of Colorado Springs. It is home to a range of wildlife, including a variety of species for birdwatchers, and beautiful explosions of foliage. You can access the park via East Roxborough Drive, and you will find a series of parking lots along with restrooms and the trailhead for Fountain Valley Overlook. A short walk south on Willow Creek Loop and you will intersect with Carpenter Peak Trail.

The Carpenter Peak Trail is a great medium selection in this park which has nearly 14 miles of hiking trails in total. This trail can be a bit steep at times and definitely falls within moderate difficulty for the top spring hikes in Colorado. It covers about 1,000 feet of elevation gain and includes amazing panoramic views at the summit. From the highest point of the park, you will be able to enjoy outstanding views of Denver to the northeast and Pike National Forest. 

Red Rock, Lion, Section 16 Loop at Red Rock Canyon Open Space

Length: 11 miles

Difficulty: Hard

Address: 530 S 31st St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Trail Map: here 

Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a popular place year-round for Colorado Springs residents and tourists alike. It features iconic red rock formations, parallel ridges, eroded canyons, a quarry, and more. There is no shortage of wildlife and interesting geology to spot at any time of year. However, it is an extra treat in the spring and summer as it is home to a variety of colorful wildflowers. You can practice your wildflower identification here, where you will be sure to spot Indian Paintbrush, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, and more. 

For an easier version of this hike, you can skip Manitou Section 16 and do a shorter loop just around Red Rock and Lion trails. This 3-mile hike is rated as moderate and still provides excellent views of the surrounding landscape. For either of these options, you will want to park at the most southern of the three lots, off S 31st Street, which is listed as parking for Red Rock Loop. No matter which trail you choose, you will undoubtedly have a great experience as the whole park houses some of the best hiking trails in Colorado.

Final Thoughts

Colorado Springs is chock-full of amazing hikes and opportunities for outdoor adventure. Once you hang up your snowshoes or skis, it is time to get out the hiking boots. If you are just getting started, you should check out an easy, half-day guided hike. Otherwise, learn how to pack for a day hike, grab a map, and hit the trails. Happy hiking!

Colorado Wildflower Guide – Spring

If you are excited about the coming of spring, you’ll surely want to know how to ring in the season. One great way is to get out and enjoy the blooming Colorado wildflowers. There are so many amazing colors that you can find on the side of hiking trails near Colorado Springs. We are going to go over some of Colorado’s most common wildflowers, what they look like, and where to find them. Wildflower identification can be difficult, but it makes for a great pastime as you enjoy the many hiking trails near Colorado Springs.

Colorado Blue Columbine

We have to start with the Colorado Blue Columbine. This wildflower is ubiquitous around the state, probably why it is the official state flower of Colorado. You may also have heard it called the Rocky Mountain Columbine for this reason. The name ‘blue’ can also be a misnomer, however, as the flowers turn to all white as the plant ages.
You can identify the Colorado Columbine by its star shape. It has five smaller white petals inside and five blue pointed petals underneath that give it that iconic overall star outline. It has a yellow center and can be found in alpine, subalpine, and wooded areas all over the state. Once you have more details on wildflower identification, you can hit the road in search of it all summer long. The best places to head would be Garden of the Gods Park, North Cheyenne Cañon Park, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, or Rocky Mountain National Park.


Bluebells

Continuing with blue wildflowers, the Bluebell is a beautiful Colorado wildflower that can be found in meadows and wooded areas and around streams. They grow in large clusters around the banks of streams, particularly out west in the San Juan Mountains. Wildflower identification for these is pretty straightforward, as they look like small bells hanging down from their stems. 

There are multiple variations, with some known as “Short Style” and others that are “Tall.” Bluebells tend to grow low to the ground and will often be blue, light blue, white, or pink. You can find these attractive Colorado wildflowers on a hike near Pikes Peak or within the Garden of the Gods Park. Both locations, especially Pikes Peak, are beautiful colorful places year-round, with wildflowers in the spring and fall colors in autumn. One excellent place to discover Bluebells would be a day trip to Bluebell Mesa outside of Boulder. They tend to blossom in spring and stick around through summer, making them a long-lasting option for Colorado wildflower spotting throughout a good portion of the year.

Silvery Lupine

One personal favorite in this same color family is the Silvery Lupine. This Colorado wildflower is popular in open meadows and foothills, and you will be able to identify it by its tall blooms that grow out from the leafy bush. Its stems can reach up to three feet, and the compound leaves grow in sets of seven. The blooms of Silvery Lupine are beautiful and impossible to miss or misidentify. 

It is possible to see the Silvery Lupine with more of a purple hue or a lighter, white tinge. They are in bloom all spring and summer long, giving you plenty of time to see them on the trail. They are very popular on the slopes of the Rockies and up north near Breckenridge. 

Indian Paintbrush

If you are looking to get into Colorado wildflowers, this is one you definitely need to know. This showy plant has unmistakable spiky clusters of vivid colors. You are most likely to see them in red or orange, and the shape makes it look like a paintbrush that has been dipped in paint. Because it creates hybrid plants with other wildflowers very easily, it is found in hundreds of different varieties and colors. 

The Indian Paintbrush is best viewed in the summer, and it is easy to find across Colorado and the Western United States in general. One variety, the Desert Paintbrush, is the state flower of Wyoming. Two great places to find this Colorado wildflower are Red Rock Canyon Open Space and Pikes Peak.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

This unique Colorado wildflower is another of my favorites. It grows up to four feet tall before forming beautiful pink flower clusters. Each cluster has four flowers and six very long stamens to attract insects. The blooms can appear almost spherical depending on how they bloom. It is a popular plant among insects, including bees, hence the name. Attracting bees and many other pollinators means it helps pollinate nearby flowers, too. One downside is that it is a great attractor by having an unpleasant smell. For this reason, it is also sometimes called stinkweed. 

Wildflower identification of this plant depends on how it blooms between spring and late summer. Studies have found that it is actually closely related to the Mustard plant. To find the Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, you should head to Red Rock Canyon Open Space. The plant also grows often on roadsides and other sunny, open areas.

Fireweed

The Fireweed plant is a vibrant pink plant that grows up to six feet tall. This plant is most visible during summer and fall, and you can learn to identify it based on its four petals and white stamens. The plant grows easily in open spaces and is called Fireweed for its ability to grow quickly after a wildfire. It can also grow after landslides, avalanches, or other natural disasters, and its leaves were used by many native communities to make tea. Fireweed can survive in subalpine elevations, meaning that it is often spotted on hiking trails throughout the state. Some good places to find Fireweed include Indian Peaks Wilderness and Pikes Peak.

There are many great hikes to discover if you want to venture to an area where you can see wildflowers near Colorado Springs. There are even more opportunities for wildflower identification if you are willing to drive a bit. For a nearby day trip, consider surrounding areas like Rocky Mountain, San Juan Mountains, and Crested Butte, which is known as the Wildflower Capital of Colorado.