Josephine & James's Colorado Springs Guidebook
Hiking/Outdoor Activities
Our favorite places we’ve been to hike and experience the great outdoors!
Garden of the Gods is a must! Our favorite trail is the Siamese Twins Trail, about a half mile long loop trail with such a nice view of Pikes Peak at the twins! But if you’d prefer a paved trail, Central Garden Trail is a good one to walk along. It’s usually very busy, but you can make it as long or short as you want. If you get there before 9:30 you’ll likely beat out the most of the crowds!
1169 locals recommend
Garden of the Gods Club and Resort
3320 Mesa RdGarden of the Gods is a must! Our favorite trail is the Siamese Twins Trail, about a half mile long loop trail with such a nice view of Pikes Peak at the twins! But if you’d prefer a paved trail, Central Garden Trail is a good one to walk along. It’s usually very busy, but you can make it as long or short as you want. If you get there before 9:30 you’ll likely beat out the most of the crowds!
If you’re looking for a good sunset or sunrise spot, the Mesa overlook at Garden of the Gods is a great choice.
1169 locals recommend
Garden of the Gods Club and Resort
3320 Mesa RdIf you’re looking for a good sunset or sunrise spot, the Mesa overlook at Garden of the Gods is a great choice.
Really cool place to come check out if you’ve got the time! It’s about 30-45 minutes outside of Colorado Springs and has some cool formations. No dogs or climbing is allowed, but the trails lead up into some of the rocks which make for some really cool adventuring and photo ops.
72 locals recommend
Paint Mines Interpretive Park
29950 Paint Mine RdReally cool place to come check out if you’ve got the time! It’s about 30-45 minutes outside of Colorado Springs and has some cool formations. No dogs or climbing is allowed, but the trails lead up into some of the rocks which make for some really cool adventuring and photo ops.
We’ve only been here in the winter so far but absolutely loved it! The views were just so breathtaking. You can also get to the seven falls trail as the trail heads are in the same area, but we personally like St. Mary’s better. There are two roads that lead up to the top. The road we took was the dirt road that had a ton of potholes, but there’s another way up that’s completely paved if your car can’t handle the bumpiness.
St Mary's Falls
We’ve only been here in the winter so far but absolutely loved it! The views were just so breathtaking. You can also get to the seven falls trail as the trail heads are in the same area, but we personally like St. Mary’s better. There are two roads that lead up to the top. The road we took was the dirt road that had a ton of potholes, but there’s another way up that’s completely paved if your car can’t handle the bumpiness.
There are a ton of hiking trails on this mountain, our favorite so far has been the lower chamberlain & twilight trail (though we often tend to wander between trails here, they all intersect fairly often). If you listen closely, you can sometimes hear the church bells tolling through the forest and it feels mystical when all you can hear is that and the birds chirping!
18 locals recommend
Cheyenne Mountain
There are a ton of hiking trails on this mountain, our favorite so far has been the lower chamberlain & twilight trail (though we often tend to wander between trails here, they all intersect fairly often). If you listen closely, you can sometimes hear the church bells tolling through the forest and it feels mystical when all you can hear is that and the birds chirping!
Nice area with great views! Up at the top of the largest hill you can even see Garden of the Gods from a cool different angle. There are some really cool rock formations/stairs on the red rock rim trail, and the quarry is a great place to watch the sunset.
430 locals recommend
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
3550 W High StNice area with great views! Up at the top of the largest hill you can even see Garden of the Gods from a cool different angle. There are some really cool rock formations/stairs on the red rock rim trail, and the quarry is a great place to watch the sunset.
Coffee Fix
We love finding the cutest coffee shops so we’ve made a list of our favorites in the Springs!
This is our current favorite coffee shop! We love the bright, relaxed feel made complete with lots of plants. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, yummy pastries, and great coffee. Good for a coffee date, to get work done, or to sit and chill for a while!
86 locals recommend
SwitchBack Coffee Roasters
330 N Institute StThis is our current favorite coffee shop! We love the bright, relaxed feel made complete with lots of plants. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, yummy pastries, and great coffee. Good for a coffee date, to get work done, or to sit and chill for a while!
A great coffee shop right in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs! Swing by here for some delicious coffee and a pretty great food selection too (we loved the queso)! They have indoor and rooftop seating, perfect for people watching. There’s quite a bit of art work here as well!
18 locals recommend
THE PERK DOWNTOWN
14 S Tejon StA great coffee shop right in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs! Swing by here for some delicious coffee and a pretty great food selection too (we loved the queso)! They have indoor and rooftop seating, perfect for people watching. There’s quite a bit of art work here as well!
We couldn’t leave off our favorite coffee chain. Way better than Starbucks, plus they have a wide variety of coffee and energy drinks. And they ALWAYS have good attitudes.. we have been there countless times and have never had a bad experience! The one listed here is super close to our house-less than 5 minutes away!!🤩
44 locals recommend
Dutch Bros
301 E Colorado AveWe couldn’t leave off our favorite coffee chain. Way better than Starbucks, plus they have a wide variety of coffee and energy drinks. And they ALWAYS have good attitudes.. we have been there countless times and have never had a bad experience! The one listed here is super close to our house-less than 5 minutes away!!🤩
Food scene
Our favorite places to eat!
One of our absolute favorite places to go. They have a huge selection of teas and perform a tea ceremony for you, and they have the BEST homemade dumplings. We recommend the rice balls and xiao long boa. It does take a minute because they make and steam the dumplings from scratch when you order, but trust us when we say it is definitely worth the wait.
22 locals recommend
Yellow Mountain Tea House
2616 W Colorado AveOne of our absolute favorite places to go. They have a huge selection of teas and perform a tea ceremony for you, and they have the BEST homemade dumplings. We recommend the rice balls and xiao long boa. It does take a minute because they make and steam the dumplings from scratch when you order, but trust us when we say it is definitely worth the wait.
The best BBQ we’ve found in the Springs! It’s got a southern, New Orleans style feel to it and some dang good fried onion straws.
129 locals recommend
Front Range Barbeque
2330 W Colorado AveThe best BBQ we’ve found in the Springs! It’s got a southern, New Orleans style feel to it and some dang good fried onion straws.
A favorite brunch place! It does get very busy, so we recommend either reservations or getting there early!
22 locals recommend
Snooze an AM Eatery
7587 N Academy BlvdA favorite brunch place! It does get very busy, so we recommend either reservations or getting there early!
The absolute BEST burgers you’ll find in Colorado Springs! The “skirt” is a huge disc of cheese on top of some of the best patties around. Their sweet potato fries are so delicious as well!
146 locals recommend
The Skirted Heifer
204 N Tejon StThe absolute BEST burgers you’ll find in Colorado Springs! The “skirt” is a huge disc of cheese on top of some of the best patties around. Their sweet potato fries are so delicious as well!
One of our favorite places for some chicken!! Almost similar to chick fil a, but it’s a little better in our opinion😉
7 locals recommend
Birdcall
6510 Tutt BoulevardOne of our favorite places for some chicken!! Almost similar to chick fil a, but it’s a little better in our opinion😉
Great choice for a fancy date night! The Rabbit Hole has a very fun and unique vibe. The food, drinks, and desserts are delicious! It is a bit on the pricier side but well worth it in our opinion.
243 locals recommend
The Rabbit Hole
101 N Tejon StGreat choice for a fancy date night! The Rabbit Hole has a very fun and unique vibe. The food, drinks, and desserts are delicious! It is a bit on the pricier side but well worth it in our opinion.
Yum yum yum! If you like crepes this is the place to go. It’s a cute place to have a breakfast or brunch date at!
7 locals recommend
Paris Crepe
1019 S Tejon StYum yum yum! If you like crepes this is the place to go. It’s a cute place to have a breakfast or brunch date at!
Traveler advice
Getting around
Lyfting & Ubering Around
We’ve found Colorado Springs to be more of a Lyft town than an Uber town. If you are having trouble getting one, try the other! For either of them we’ve recommend to order about 15 minutes ahead of when you need to leave, or schedule one ahead of time.