Don't go far: Area has plenty of hidden gems

Pikes Peak region residents are fortunate to have the great outdoors at their feet, but in the heat of tourist season what’s a local to do to escape the crush of teeming humanity?

When you can’t get out of Dodge, where can you go? 

“Information-booth visitors are looking for something off the beaten path,” says Chelsey Offutt, PR manager at Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak. This prompted the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to compile a list of “Hidden Gems,” out-of-the-way places in and around Colorado Springs that tourists and locals alike can enjoy.

You probably know about some or most of these local treasures. But consider this a reminder that tourists shouldn’t have all the fun.

paint mines

One of those gems is the Paint Mines, just outside downtown Calhan in eastern El Paso County. Clays deposited more than 55 million years ago, and eroded over time, created geological formations such as spires and hoodoos. The area shows evidence of human life dating back 9,000 years. It was a favorite hunting ground for American Indian tribes, who also created pottery and ceremonial paints with the colorful clays.

nature centers  

The mantra of the Bear Creek and Fountain Creek nature centers is “no child left inside,” operating on the belief that we never outgrow our need to play outdoors. Both nature-center buildings are worth a visit, but during tourist season, head straight for the outside trails that take you through two different landscapes.

Bear Creek Regional Park, on the city’s west side, is where you can hike the foothills, and view the abundant wildlife amid scrub oak thickets, ponderosa pine forests, meadows and a mountain creek. Two miles of nature trails wind through the short grass prairie, scrub oak woodlands and cottonwood riparian communities.

marsh and meadow

Fountain Creek Regional Park, between Widefield and Fountain off U.S. Highway 85/87, is an oasis on the plains featuring creek, pond, marsh, meadow and cottonwood communities. A hike is more of a leisurely stroll from the Fountain Creek Nature Center into a floodplain passing by marshy ponds rimmed with cattails. Look for muskrats cutting through the still water, turtles in the cattails and deer bedding down in the grass. Ambitious hikers can link to the Fountain Creek Regional Trail for extended walks.

hike, bike or ride

The New Santa Fe Regional Trail extends from northern El Paso County’s Palmer Lake Recreation area south to Colorado Springs. The trail drops 1,200 feet in elevation as it follows a portion of the abandoned Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad line through the Air Force Academy. With Pikes Peak as a backdrop, hikers, bikers and horseback riders enjoy wildlife, abundant wildflowers, open grasslands, cottonwoods and ponderosa pines, and interesting geological landmarks such as Elephant Rock and Monument Rock.

bug museum

Are the crowds still bugging you? Then head to the May Natural History Museum, situated in a beautiful canyon just south of Colorado Springs off Colorado Highway 115. Outside you’re greeted by a statue touted to be the world’s largest Hercules beetle. If it’s not too crowded, head inside to view one of the world’s best public collections of giant insects and other tropical invertebrates, amassed by James F. W. May. His illustrious collection is the result of a half-century’s worth of exploration of the world’s jungles.

cheyenne mountain state park

Another getaway down Highway 115 is Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Amble through prairie-to-peak ecosystems and 20 miles of hiking and biking trails, ranging from short and easy to long and moderate. Because of the fragile ecosystem, pets, horses and smoking are prohibited on the trails. The park is located just west of Fort Carson’s main gate.

rosanne gain, special to the gazette