Things to Do Alone in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs is a good solo city if you like your best sights free and outdoors. Garden of the Gods Park charges no admission, the Pioneers Museum downtown does not either, and the foothills canyons are minutes from the centre. This guide builds the days around those free anchors and adds one museum worth paying for.

The free anchor: Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is a free city park and a National Natural Landmark. The park is open 5am to 10pm, and the Visitor and Nature Center is open 9am to 5pm and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Of its trails, the paved Central Garden Trail is described as the best introduction to the geology and plants (Garden of the Gods). The Visitor and Nature Center, where admission is also free, lists a Geo Trekker movie theatre, a cafe and gift shop, and exhibits and galleries, which gives a cold or windy hour somewhere indoors. The park's shuttle is billed as a summer service, so plan another way in during November. Check the park's own site for road, parking and trail notices before you go (Garden of the Gods).

Downtown on a budget

• Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 215 S. Tejon St. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Admission is always free and walk-ins are welcome. It is in the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse, with a ramp entrance on the south side, elevator access to all floors and a parking garage at Nevada and Colorado Avenue (CSPM). A free museum is a good first outing because you can leave after twenty minutes.
• U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Open Monday and Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Ticket sales end at 4pm. Daily guided tours are listed on the tickets page (USOPM).
• Acacia Park in the middle of downtown has a Visitor Info Hub, picnic tables and Uncle Wilber's Fountain (VisitCOS solo guide).

Canyons and open space

North Cheyenne Cañon Park is open 5am to 9pm from 1 November to 30 April. Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center is open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 3pm in spring, fall and winter, and the Helen Hunt Falls visitor centre runs seasonally from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so it is closed now (City of Colorado Springs). Red Rock Canyon Open Space is on the west side with trails, more than 85 climbing routes and leashed dogs welcome on trails (Red Rock Canyon Open Space). VisitCOS also names Palmer Park, with 25 miles of trails, as a quieter option (VisitCOS).

Two small-town afternoons

Manitou Springs is the historic downtown to the west. The tourism board describes it as an artist's enclave with galleries, street performers and eight mineral springs scattered through town (VisitCOS), and the town's own site lists Holiday Happenings for November and December (Manitou Springs).

Old Colorado City is the historic west side district on West Colorado Avenue. It runs a First Friday ArtWalk with galleries and restaurants taking part, on the first Friday of each month; times vary by venue, so check the listing (Old Colorado City). Read how to eat alone in public before you pick a bar seat on the route.

VisitCOS also points to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan, east of the city, with "hoodoo" formations and evidence of human life dating back as far as 9,000 years (VisitCOS). It is a bigger outing than the city parks, so work out the transport first.

Art, class or theatre

The Fine Arts Center at Colorado College combines a museum, a theatre and the Bemis School of Art, which lists browsable classes. Its site currently advertises a free community Día de Muertos event and a 2026 to 2027 theatre season (Fine Arts Center). Poor Richard's, which VisitCOS describes as a restaurant with tables in and outside plus a connected bookshop, is a simple place to people-watch alone (VisitCOS). In Old Colorado City, the Old Colorado City Historical Society offers pioneer-era exhibits (VisitCOS).

Moving around

The city's Mountain Metro Transit page offers a trip planner and live bus tracking (City of Colorado Springs). Garden of the Gods and the canyons are easier to see if you plan how you will get there first. See things to do alone in a new city and first solo trip tips.

First solo outings

1. Easy: An hour at the Pioneers Museum, then a bench in Acacia Park.
2. Medium: Walk the paved Central Garden Trail, then spend 30 minutes in the Visitor and Nature Center.
3. Bold: Join the First Friday ArtWalk in Old Colorado City, alone, and talk to one gallery owner.

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era has a travel mission at level 5 of 5: "Plan a two-day nature-centre break." Garden of the Gods, with its staffed Visitor and Nature Center, is one place to base it. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

Nearby, compare Denver, Boulder and Santa Fe, or browse the full city list.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)

• Garden of the Gods: home and visit
• Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum: plan your visit
• U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum: tickets and admission
• City of Colorado Springs: North Cheyenne Cañon Park
• Red Rock Canyon Open Space
• VisitCOS: solo in the Springs
• Manitou Springs
• Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
• VisitCOS: free things to do
• Old Colorado City: First Friday ArtWalk
• City of Colorado Springs: Mountain Metro Transit

Details change; check the venue before you go.

Solo Era for iPhone

Try it with Solo Era

Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.