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🚲 Get Outside Before the Snow Does

Good morning, Colorado Springs. 🍂

November around here is a gift: cool mornings, warm afternoons, uncrowded trails, and Pikes Peak wearing its first coat of white. This week is all about using it, with easy walks for any pace and bike rides from paved-and-flat to rocky-and-rowdy.

Onto this week's Scoop:

• 🥾 5 easy walks with big views and small effort
• 🚲 4 rides, from a paved downtown loop to real singletrack
• 🇺🇸 This Saturday: the Veterans Day Parade downtown

Let's get into it.
— The COS Scoop crew

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🥾 5 Easy Walks

Perkins Central Garden Trail: Garden of the Gods

📍 1805 N. 30th St. · Free · Winter hours now: 5 a.m.–9 p.m. · 1.5 miles round trip, paved
➜ Trail info

The park's greatest hits in one flat, paved loop, with less than 30 feet of climbing at the base of the tallest red rocks. Want a little more? The Siamese Twins Trail is an easy 1-mile round trip (under 150 feet of rise).

Red Rock Canyon Open Space: Westside

📍 Main lots off W. High St. (from Hwy. 24, take Ridge Rd. to the roundabout) · Free
➜ Park info & trail map

Garden-of-the-Gods-style red rock with a fraction of the crowds. Easy options include the Contemplative Trail, Sand Canyon and the Mesa/Greenlee loop, and the Quarry Trail passes the old sandstone quarries that supplied building stone to Old Colorado City in the late 1800s. Bringing the dog? There are upper and lower off-leash dog loops. Portable toilets are at both main lots.

Palmer Park: Central Colorado Springs

📍 3650 Maizeland Rd. · Free
➜ Park info

More than 730 acres of sandstone bluffs and meadows smack in the middle of the city, with 25+ miles of trails. Start with the Yucca, Templeton or Mesa trails, then drive or walk up to Grandview Overlook for a sweeping Pikes Peak view. General Palmer gave the park to the city in 1902, and it's been a local favorite ever since.

Ute Valley Park: Northwest

📍 1705 Vindicator Dr. · Free
➜ Park info

Rocky, forested hogbacks, big vistas and a trail web that branches out from the Vindicator Drive lot. Stick to the beginner loops near the trailhead for an easy walk, and keep an eye out for mountain bikers. Hikers should steer clear of the marked Downhill Bike Area.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park: Southwest

📍 410 JL Ranch Heights (off Hwy. 115 at the Fort Carson Gate 1 light) · Daily vehicle pass $10–$15
➜ Park info

2,701 acres and 29 miles of trails, with a "plains to peaks" feel where the prairie runs right into the mountain. Bringing the dog? Pups are allowed on the Acorn Alley, Bobcat Way and Raccoon Ridge trails (plus the marked part of Soaring Kestrel).

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🚲 4 Bike Rides

Legacy Loop: Downtown (easy, mostly paved)

📍 Start at Legacy Plaza, 1800 Recreation Way (free parking) · 9.7 miles · ~275 ft elevation
➜ Route & history stops

A loop around downtown on the Pikes Peak Greenway, Shooks Run and the Rock Island corridor, with history stops along the way: Monument Valley Park, the old Rock Island rail bridge near the Pikes Peak Trolley Museum, and the former Santa Fe railroad line (the last train ran in 1971). Expect a short on-street detour on Fountain Blvd. where the Shooks Run path isn't finished yet. Want shorter? Cut across on Pikes Peak Ave.

Pikes Peak Greenway: North–South Spine (easy, paved)

📍 Many access points, from the north end near the Air Force Academy down through Monument Valley Park · ~18 miles, paved, dogs welcome
➜ Trail map

The backbone of the city's trail system, following Monument and Fountain creeks. Ride as little or as much as you like. The stretch through Monument Valley Park is a classic coffee-ride. Watch for beavers and waterfowl in the creekside wetlands near downtown.

New Santa Fe Regional Trail: Palmer Lake → Monument (easy, gravel)

📍 Trailheads at Palmer Lake, Third St. in Monument, and Baptist Rd. · Crushed-gravel, ~6 ft wide
➜ Trail info

A former Santa Fe railroad grade, straight and level for the first 6.5 miles out of Palmer Lake. Great for kids, cruisers and gravel bikes. Helmets are required.
Heads up: The section through the Air Force Academy is currently closed, so plan an out-and-back north of the Academy. The Monument trailhead restroom is closed Nov. 1–March 31.

Singletrack Sampler: Red Rock Canyon, Palmer Park & Ute Valley (intermediate+)

➜ Red Rock Canyon · Palmer Park · Ute Valley

Ready for dirt? Red Rock Canyon has a dedicated bike-only area and connects to the Section 16 and Intemann trails for stronger riders. Palmer Park's 25+ miles of multi-use trails roll through sandstone. Ute Valley has trails for every level plus a Downhill Bike Area. Ride in control and yield to hikers. Everyone yields to horses.

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👀 On Our Radar

In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade: This Sat., Nov. 7 · 11 a.m. · Tejon Street, marching south from St. Vrain to Vermijo. ➜ Details

Colorado Country Christmas Gift Show: Nov. 13–15 · Colorado Springs Event Center · Adults $12 at the box office. ➜ Details

Air Force vs. San José State: Sat., Nov. 14 · 5 p.m. MT · Falcon Stadium. ➜ Schedule

Vintage Market Days: Nov. 20–22 · 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily · Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd. · Kids under 12 free. ➜ Details

Air Force vs. UTEP: Fri., Nov. 20 · 6 p.m. MT · Falcon Stadium. ➜ Schedule

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🍦 SCOOP Hub

🌶️ The Green Chile Issue · 🎃 Coffins, Pumpkins & a Zoo Full of Costumes
📣 Advertise with COS Scoop
📬 Got a favorite trail we skipped? Hit reply. Reader picks make future issues.

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📬 Before You Go

Quick trail etiquette refresher, courtesy of the city's Leave No Trace partnership: stay on the trail even when it's muddy (walk right through it, don't go around), pack out what you pack in, and say hi to the folks you pass.

See you out there,
— The COS Scoop crew

Springs Resources
🗺️ COTREX trail map (CPW) · 🚲 City bike routes · 🏞️ Cheyenne Mountain State Park passes