Complete Guide to Manitou Springs

To Do or Not To Do a Post

I really struggled with whether I was going to do a Small Town USA post on my visit to Manitou Springs, CO. With a population of under 5,000 residents, this little Colorado mountain town certainly qualifies as small town, USA. However, the town just has too much going for it. It does not need more tourist plugs with my complete guide to Manitou Springs. But, I could not help myself and I did anyway. First off, it’s absolutely gorgeous…

The place is literally surrounded by mountains with snow covered Pikes Peak dominating the horizon. Furthermore, the town is your typical artsy-fartsy hippie town. Naturally, they will flog you in the town square if you eat non-organic food or make a recycling blunder. But, on the other hand, hippies like to drink. The main drag is loaded with bars and restaurants. The establishments all have that aged mountain charm, not to mention a mountain stream running through the center of town. In summation, There is no denying that it’s a pretentious town. But, there is so much to do and the setting is so beautiful, I decided to force out a post anyway.

Now, allow me to run through a quick hit list of things to do in Manitou Springs…half of which I did not do.

Pikes Peak – Did it

If you are going to do anything in Manitou Springs, do Pikes Peak. There is a free, no hassle shuttle in the town that takes you to the train station. The shuttle ride is only about 5 minutes long. Then, you board the train to head up the mountain. There is about 75 minutes of breath taking scenery as you wind along 9 miles track up to the 14,000+ foot summit of Pikes Peak.

WARNING: You may want to make sure you are a bit acclimated to the altitude before doing the train trip. You get to 14,000 feet relatively quickly. As some in our party discovered. Altitude sickness is a real thing. Driving up and walking up Pikes Peak are also options. However, the train is clearly the winning choice…did it.

Cliff Dwellers and Caves – Skipped it

I wanted to give you the full picture of all the tourist options in Manitou Springs…even if I did not do them. Manitou Springs also offers a Cliff Dwelling and Cave of the Winds attraction.

Now, I do not want to talk too much smack on these attractions. For some families, these very well may be a great way to spend your day in Manitou Springs. But, they were not for us. First, the Cliff Dwellings are fake. Yep, they are just well done reproductions of cliff dwellings. At the risk of sounding like a tourist snob, I have been to real cliff dwelling in Arizona and New Mexico. I did not need to join the screaming kids climbing through the fake cliff dwelling. As for the Cave of the Winds, I am just a bit caved out. Unless you are talking about Carlsbad or Mammoth level stuff, most of these tourist caves are pretty much the same. So, skipped it.

Manitou Springs…Springs…Did it

This is actually the unique item that committed me to stay in this town. Of course, all of my readers understand the concept of a “pub crawl.” Well, in Manitou Springs, you do a “springs crawl.” There are 7 natural, constantly flowing, mineral springs scattered throughout the town. The town built fountain stations for each of these springs. All you need to do is bring your own cup, then go on a mineral spring crawl.

Now, as I said, there are 7 mineral springs fountains on this crawl. However, I did not show all of them. I think 3 pictures of me at the fountains adequately tells the story. It’s kind of like wine tasting. Each spring has its own unique taste. But, my blue collar pallet can not provide adequate descriptions of each spring. They all felt like slightly carbonated water with a heavy mineral flavor.

If you do the “spring crawl,” I offer up two recommendations to the event. One, do not read all the fine print on the warning signs that appears at every fountain. They would not let you do it if it was not safe. Who cares about manganese anyway. Just drink it. Secondly, the whole crawl can be done in less than an hour. So, mix it up a bit…mineral fountain….actual pub…mineral fountain…actual pub….etc. Create your own mineral spring/pub crawl…so, did it.

Final Options – Did it embarrassingly & Skipped it

If you need a couple more itinerary fillers in Manitou Springs, I offer up High Tea at the Miramont Castle and/or the Manitou Incline. Now, “High Tea at the Miramont Castle” is most certainly not Americana, nor something PugsleyTonks endorses. However, you know that I live to please my wife and the castle was right next to our hotel…so, I consented to high tea. You pay like $15 to walk through the castle/museum. Then, if you time it right, you can pay for the afternoon high tea as well. Carol says that it’s definitely worth doing. PugsleyTonks remains silent on the subject. Furthermore, I will only offer the one picture of the castle. I will not publish any documentation that I attended a tea room

Lastly, for those into self torture, there is the Manitou Incline. Now, I enjoy a good hike as much as the next guy. But, this stroll is as much a fitness challenge, as it is a scenic hike. The hike is actually less than a mile one way. But, in that mile, you walk up 2,700 steps and gain 2,000 feet in elevation. A funicular used to operate here, but it got washed away a couple decades ago. Needless to say…hikes are good…fitness challenges are bad. So, skipped it.

Wrap It Up

As I mentioned earlier, I will bear some guilt publishing all this tourist propaganda on behalf of Manitou Springs. Manitou Springs is just a bit west of Colorado Springs (about an hour south of Denver). It’s just not the small town, hidden gem that I prefer to focus upon. But, what can I say? I was impressed. The town is beautiful. The activities are unique and plentiful. And, the hippies have plenty of places to eat and drink. If you are in the area and have a day or two to kill, Manitou Springs will not disappoint. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Complete Guide to Manitou Springs” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here is a proper small town, hidden gem to read about https://travelingwithpt.com/a-bombing-a-border-crossing/

If you want to escape to Manitou Springs, here you go https://manitousprings.org/