North Front Range

Peaks to Plain
Colorado’s North Front Range offers both city and wilderness, and mountains and plains. At the base of the foothills, the vibrant city of Colorado Springs gives rise to glorious Pikes Peak, which so inspired Katharine Lee Bates she penned “America the Beautiful” while on its slopes. Colorado Springs is home to numerous top tourist attractions, including the United States Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, the United States Olympic Training Center, and museums, shops, eating establishments of all kinds, and hotels from the famed Broadmoor to quaint B&Bs.

Once in the foothills, there are numerous natural and recreational areas. Explore Mueller State Park, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, thousands of acres of National Forest, high-altitude reservoirs, cattle ranches, guest ranches and charming mountain towns. Many outdoor camping facilities sit near thousands of miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, ATV riding and wildlife viewing, from elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep to birds, coyotes and fox. Mountain waters offer fishing, boating and secluded fly-fishing.

This area is one of the most historically rich in the entire state of Colorado. On a day’s adventure, a traveler can visit the state’s last intact railroad roundhouse, the South Park City Museum that protects 34 local buildings replete with 60,000 artifacts from the late 19th-century, and the Historic Butte Opera House in Cripple Creek, which entices visitors and residents alike with limited stakes gambling. During the gold rush, more gold was mined in Cripple Creek than in all of California and all of Alaska combined. There are active operations at the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company, as well as rides on the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.
                              

MORE INFORMATION

Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and El Paso County Area

Fairplay, South Park and Park County Area

Cripple Creek, Woodland Park and Teller County Area

Learn More About Other Regions in Colorado's Frontier:
   Upper Arkansas
   Lower Arkansas
   North Front Range
   South Front Range
   San Luis Valley