Parks & Recreation - Parks

In our parks, Colorado Springs is rich indeed. There is an average of 35 acres of park for every 1,000 people living in El Paso County, which is 40 percent higher than the national average—not that we’re bragging or anything! This includes 136 neighborhood parks, plus regional, community, and state parks, as well as open spaces and trails. Within the city limits alone, we have 9,000 acres of parks and 500 acres of trails.

The Pikes Peak region does have the classic green expanse of lawns, in particular at the large Memorial Park, Cottonwood Creek Park, and Bear Creek Park. But we also have every park activity—and corresponding facility for it. There are open spaces with hiking trails and regional parks with pavilions for gatherings. There are parks with courts for tennis, sand volleyball, inline skating, and basketball. There are community parks with baseball fields, neighborhood parks with playgrounds, city parks with glorious, bubbling fountains, and state parks with serene, natural vegetation. In our parks you can swim, skate, jump, climb, and dig. It’s fair to say that to know the people of Colorado Springs, you have to spend at least some time hanging out in our parks.

Parks & Recreation - Sports & Recreation

Colorado Springs has been ranked No. 1 by Outside magazine as “Best Town.” Men’s Fitness has ranked the city No. 2 for “Fittest City in America” and No. 3 for “Top Sports Town.” With other accolades by the dozen, including a number of publications listing the city somewhere in the top 10 for “Best City to Live, Work, and Play,” you know that when it comes to sports and recreation, there’s something to talk about.

First, there’s the no-brainer category: gorgeous golf courses, easy access to scenic hiking trails, tennis courts all over town, lush soccer fields, and smooth ice hockey rinks. The depth of the Pikes Peak region’s athletic interests, though, becomes clear with all the secondary things to do, from disc golf courses to geocaches, from hot skate parks to cool wave pools. There are horses and bikes to ride, ropes and rocks to climb, footballs to throw, lanes to bowl, sand volleyball courts to spike, and gold-medal fish to catch. For those who’d rather watch, top-level college hockey and football are two of the biggest draws in the state. Perhaps the easiest way to explain how much sports and recreation fit into the civic soul is to ask, what isn’t here? The answer . . . wait, still thinking.