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. 

Where to See Wildflowers in Colorado Springs

Surrounding the cities of the Colorado foothills are mountain vistas erupting from long stretches of prairie. The sight in itself is astonishing, but it gets even better in the spring. When wildflowers come out to bloom and show their colors after a long winter tucked away, the mountains light up with a vibrance unseen since the year prior. 

Of course, it’s one of the best times of the year to get outside. This list of wildflower hikes in Colorado Springs is a start towards a longer journey of finding every last petal of every last flower and taking in its beauty. And the best part is that you don’t have to look far when seeking out where to see wildflowers in Colorado Springs. With a camera and identification book in hand, it’s time to set out on the trails and see what’s out there.

Garden of the Gods Park

Come springtime, Garden of the Gods has shoots of color popping up in every direction you look. It’s one of the best places to go throughout the entire year, so of course, it makes the list of where to see wildflowers in Colorado Springs. 

This region is perfect for day hiking in Colorado. There are guided walks throughout the day, and you can book hiking tours that will allow you to get a full experience and understanding of flora and fauna along the way. 

The Palmer, Buckskin-Charley, Niobrara, and Bretag Trail loop is an easy four-mile loop throughout the park where you can tour several of the park’s most outstanding features. If you want to get out for some outstanding sights but only have a couple of hours, this is one of the best picks.

Indian paintbrush covers the landscape here along with multiple varieties of wildflowers – such as Colorado blue columbine and bluebells – making it a diverse color scape that can impress anyone who passes through.

Red Rock Canyon Open Space

Located right on the limits of Colorado Springs, Red Rock Canyon Open Space offers another quick getaway to see some of the most spectacular wildflowers the area has to offer. It’s an easy place to get to and has miles of trails to offer. 

Any combination of the various trails can make a great loop to explore and see a variety of different sights like beautiful rock faces to climb and open fields that just recently lost their snow. You may spot some Arrowleaf balsamroot or Rocky Mountain bee plant amongst the Indian paintbrush and other delicate flowers.

Photo by Kevin Bree on Unsplash

North Cheyenne Cañon Park

Here’s another gem that sits so close to the city but makes you feel like you’ve driven hours to find wilderness. The North Cheyenne Cañon Park is a short ten-minute drive from the heart of Colorado Springs and has wildflowers aplenty to offer anyone who comes looking. 

This park is full of granite cliffs and waterfalls, providing a luscious environment for flowers to grow and thrive. The park is 1,000-feet deep in the granite canyon, following the creek the entire way. The water draws an array of birds and wildlife that makes this park unique. 

The Daniels Pass Trail system is a newer part of the park where you can go deep into the woods and find flowers that have stayed hidden for many years without trails to blaze the way. The Mount Muscoco and the Mount Cutler trails are also great options for getting a higher vantage point and seeing the landscape from a new perspective.

Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak may define the area surrounding Colorado Springs. It was what gold miners looked to when they first made their way west, and today it’s one of the most popular 14ers climbed in the state. Pikes Peak is an easy way to get up high and see wildflowers for miles on end as well as right in front of you on the trail. 

The Elk Park trail will take you along open meadows and a beautiful creek that provides an ample environment for wildflowers of all different types. As you move up the mountain, the flora changes with elevation, which can give you the chance to see an even wider variety of flowers on a single trail. 

Here you’ll find Columbia monkshood, Indian paintbrush, orange Agoseris, mountain bluebells, arctic yellow violet, darkthroat shooting star, and the list goes on. Be sure to bring a wildflower identification guide in order to find as many as possible because this is the spot to tick off a lot of boxes in the hunt to discover them all. 

This is likely the only trail where you’ll find a good amount of snow alongside the wildflowers. It can provide a stark contrast that is unlike many other regions in the area and draws visitors from all around.

Photo by Alexis Gethin on Unsplash

Ute Valley Park

Mere minutes north of downtown Colorado Springs is Ute Valley Park. This hidden gem is surrounded by humanity but can still make you feel as if you’ve left the city. All along the trails of this 538-acre park, you can find a blast of color from the many wildflowers in the area. 

Within the park, you’ll likely see some Mariposa lily blooms, prickly pear cacti, and faerie trumpets that are common in the area. While this park might not offer massive mountains to climb, it’s a fantastic representation of what the area is truly like – all within the city limits.