36 Hours in Colorado Springs

A dramatic view of Colorado Springs, framed by rough-hewn cliffs, comes early in a 2.2-mile roundtrip hike up Mount Cutler in North Cheyenne Cañon Park. The popular city park added seven miles of new trails three years ago, but this classic route never gets too steep and has a big payoff. From the summit, inhale fragrant juniper, piñon and ponderosa pine while viewing the sparkling tiers of the Seven Falls waterfall far below in South Cheyenne Cañon and the forested slopes of the Pike National Forest rolling westward. From nearby Cheyenne Mountain, you may hear the chimes coming from the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, a granite tower with a viewing deck overlooking the city. You’d never guess from this vantage point that a large military complex, built during the Cold War, still operates 2,000 feet deep within the mountain.

At Lumen8, a rooftop restaurant and bar that opened downtown in 2022, post up by a fire pit, sip one of seven local brews on tap (from $6) and gaze at the majestic, snow-capped Pikes Peak. Then head up the street to the low-lit dining room at Four by Brother Luck, where its chef and owner, Brother Luck, who appeared on “Top Chef,” offers Southwestern-inspired dishes like sweet-and-savory blue cornbread accompanied with wojapi (a thick berry sauce traditional in Lakota cuisine), charred octopus in mango broth with tangy Peruvian peppers, and a fun dessert called the Forest Floor with sweet elements styled as edible “flora.” Dishes are a la carte, or four courses for $75.

At Garden of the Gods, one of the country’s most unusual city parks and a designated National Natural Landmark, 300 million years of erosion have shaped the red sandstone into fantastical formations — with names like the Kissing Camels, Siamese Twins and Balanced Rock — that strikingly contrast the often vivid-blue sky. Stop first at the visitor center, which is chock-full of exhibits about the park’s geology, history, and flora and fauna (a species of dinosaur was even discovered there). Then explore some of the short, interconnected hiking trails that allow you to view the striated, pitted rock up close, starting with the 1.5-mile paved Perkins Central Garden loop (a free shuttle provides access to the trailhead through the third week of August). Or see the park on horseback (from $100), bike (rentals, from $40, available at the visitor center) or by car. Free entry.

With the Paris Summer Olympics around the corner, stoke the fervor for amazing athletic feats and tear-jerking gold-medal moments at the excellent U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (entry $19.95), open since 2020. (Colorado Springs has been home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee since 1978, and has a major training center.) The building’s striking exterior — which features thousands of aluminum panels shimmering in the sunlight — hints at the high-tech displays inside, including virtual sport simulators (try archery!) and other interactive exhibits for each sport. A gallery of Olympic torches, from 1936 to the present, contains inspiring video footage from the torch relays. One of the most moving exhibits focuses on the 11 Israeli athletes taken hostage at the 1972 Munich Games, and includes the ABC sports announcer Jim McKay’s somber broadcast of their fate.

The low-key décor lets the food shine at new restaurant Inefable above the just-renovated Avenue 19 food hall, where the chef and owner Fernando Trancoso boosts traditional Mexican dishes with French, Spanish and South American influences. Bright flavors meld nicely in a slightly spicy tropical fruit gazpacho (pineapple, passion fruit, lemon and cucumber) with poached shrimp ($16), while a pumpkin-seed green mole adds a twist to a traditional duck confit ($39). A recent nightly special featured cochinita pibil ($42), a Yucatán-style slow-roasted, fall-off-the-bone pork shank that’s been marinated overnight in a sauce with Maya spices, red chiles and achiote (a slightly peppery spice). The cocktail menu reflects Mr. Trancoso’s Mexican roots with almost three dozen varieties of tequila and mezcal.

It’s a little corny, sure, but belting out tunes like “Sweet Caroline” or “Piano Man” during the nightly singalongs at the Golden Bee, a pub within the venerable Broadmoor resort on the city’s west side, is also a lot of fun, in a seventh-inning stretch at the baseball game kind of way. The bar is a 19th-century English pub that was shipped over and reassembled in this space in 1961, ornate woodwork and all. Everybody gets a songbook, and the piano player leads the program (and takes requests). Order a pint ($10) or a half-yard ($28) of Extra Special Bee, an English-style pale ale from the local brewery Red Leg, to wet your whistle.

Have breakfast in Manitou Springs, a quirky enclave at the base of Pikes Peak — but instead of taking Highway 24, take a more interesting detour by driving Colorado Avenue west through the Old Colorado City neighborhood. The area was once its own town, established in 1859 as a supply hub. Today, several blocks are lined with historic buildings, galleries and shops, such as Story Coffee, a small cafe and roastery. Continue driving west to the homey Adam’s Mountain Cafe, an almost 40-year-old favorite for hearty meals like orange-almond French toast ($12) or shrimp and grits ($18). Then stop by one of the town’s eight mineral-springs fountains for a swig of naturally carbonated, slightly metallic-tasting water (each spring has a different “flavor”); the Native Americans who first lived here attributed healing properties to the water.