Don’t miss the St. Patrick’s Day parade this Saturday

March 10, 2010 By

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This Saturday is the 27th annual Colorado Springs St. Patrick’s Day Parade! It starts at noon and runs south down Tejon, from St. Vrain to the Pioneers Museum.  Plan to park a few blocks away – many of the streets are blocked off for parade setup.

Let’s hoping the weather this year is as great as it was last year. We thoroughly enjoyed the parade last year – though, a tip: if you sit at the end of the parade route, the parade “starts” 20 minutes later and by the end, most of the performers have fizzled and the candy is all gone.

Check out our pics and video from last year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade!

Here’s the official lineup of parade entries for 2010.

[carrie]

Think the Manitou Incline is hard? So does Apolo Ohno.

February 17, 2010 By

Image from markus42 on Flickr

Olympic short track skating gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohno on the Manitou Incline:

You can’t necessarily run the entire way up. I would love to watch someone do that. It’s just these railroad ties that are staked into the ground all the way up. It’s a very, very mean workout. No matter how far you go, whether you walk it or run it, it’s going to hurt bad. But for a speed skater it’s worth it. It’s all lower body. I used to bike there twice a week from the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, run it, and ride back. It was a staple of my training for many years.  – via Runner’s World

Mean, indeed.  If an Olympic athlete thinks it’s a grueling lower-body workout, you should feel pretty good if you’ve been able to do the Incline yourself.  (I haven’t.)

Thanks to our friend Melissa for the link!

[carrie]

Things to do this weekend: Harvest Festival at Rock Ledge Ranch

September 30, 2009 By

pumpkin patch at rock ledge ranch

This weekend is the Harvest Festival at Rock Ledge Ranch.  The historic homestead that’s set against the backdrop of the Garden of the Gods is open for free from 10 AM to 3 PM on Saturday (October 3rd).  You can tour the 1880s Rock Ledge House and 1907 Estate House, and there’s usually live music and historical demonstrations.  There’s a pumpkin patch and wagon rides as well (there is a fee for those types of activities).  Here’s a video I took last year at the festival:

There are more pics of last year’s Harvest Festival on our Flickr photostream.

Free camping in Colorado Springs: Wye Campground

August 28, 2009 By

Wye Campground - Pike National Forest - free camping near Colorado Springs

Important note: we are not in any way affiliate with this campground.  Please do not call us with questions about this campground.  If you need more information, contact the National Forest Service.

There are lots of great places to camp in and near Colorado Springs, but not too many that are free.  Well, there’s always the backcountry option, but for those of us that are not quite up for that, try Wye Campground.

Wye Campground is a free National Forest Service Campground in Pike National Forest.  There are 21 campsites and two outhouses (bring your own TP).  Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring – beyond that, there is not much in the way of “amenities”.  No reservations are accepted.  Campfires are permitted as long as they haven’t been banned in the forest – call the forest service at 719.553.1400 to confirm.  You’ll need to pack out your trash.

Campsite in Wye Campground - Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs

If you read about Wye Campground other places online, you might think it’s inaccessible to two-wheel drive vehicles, but the opposite is true: while the road to the campground has a few washouts that you won’t exactly be speeding through, we took a minivan and passenger car there no problem.

Wye Campground is relatively unknown, and as such, is pretty quiet.  We recently camped on a perfect summer evening and only three other campsites were in use at the campground.  Still, there are no reservations accepted, so on holiday weekends it would probably be wise to arrive early to have your pick of campsites.

Wye campground has two outhouses - bring your own TP!

We read one place that there is supposedly some sort of a cave on the ridge above Wye Campground that Zebulon Pike and his men took shelter in when they were trying to hike Pikes Peak.  No idea where exactly it is, but it would certainly be a fun discovery!

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How to get to Wye Campground: Taken Old Stage Road to Gold Camp Road.  Once you’re on Gold Camp Road, go about 5 miles to Forest Service Road 381.  Turn right and the campground is a little ways back.  (There is a sign for the campground on Gold Camp; you can’t miss it, and if you do, you’re driving too fast.)  Here’s how to get to Old Stage and Gold Camp via Google Maps.

Related: At the “intersection” of Old Stage and Gold Camp is a short hike to St. Peter’s Dome – spectacular views from up top!

Important note: we are not in any way affiliate with this campground.  Please do not call us with questions about this campground.  If you need more information, contact the National Forest Service.

Hiking in Colorado Springs: St. Peter’s Dome

August 25, 2009 By
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St. Peter's Dome - leftmost peak in center

A recent camping trip took us in search of a family-friendly hike and a free campground. Today, I’ll share about the hike to St. Peter’s Dome – come back later in the week for more info on where to camp for free in Colorado Springs.

St. Peter's Dome trailhead

The sign at the trailhead for St. Peter’s Dome indicates it’s a 0.7 mile hike. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, and then it begins climbing and the switchbacks begin. As you near the top, the trail becomes pretty narrow and there is a lot of loose rock.

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When you get near the top, you’ll soon realize that it’s time for mom to stay with the little kids and any teenagers and adults in your group to continue on – if you want to go all the way to the top of the dome, you’ll need to use the knotted rope to get up the next boulder. (As of August 14, 2009, the rope was sturdy, but who knows how long it’s been up there!)

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There are still incredible views even if you stop at the rope!

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If you continue past the rope to get to the top, there’s another 50 yards or so of trail with loose rock, requiring careful footing. After that, it’s a pretty easy walk. Basically, if you get past the rope, it’s easy to get to the very top of the dome. There are amazing views of Garden of the Gods, the city of Colorado Springs, and of course miles of spectacular mountains.

How to get to the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead: since part of Gold Camp Road is closed because of a tunnel collapse years ago, you’ll need to take Old Stage Road to Gold Camp Road. Once you reach the point where Old Stage merges into Gold Camp, drive maybe a mile (?) to reach the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead. It’s easy to find, on the northeast side of the road there will be a small parking area and some large boulders. There’s also a small sign that indicates where the trail is.

Here’s a Google map. Note that the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead starts on the part of the map close to where it says “Duffield”.

Trail Suitability: Though some parts were tricky, we made it up the trail to the rope with our three kids, ages four and under. We had an extra set of hands which were absolutely necessary – you’ll definitely need one adult per child. But, as another site put it, it’s suitable for “adventurous families”.

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