Whether you are a skier, snowboarder, hiker or biker, a mountain getaway to this location serves up a world of possibilities. This year-round destination changes its palette of distinctive offerings with the seasons.
For snow bunnies, dog sledding and snowmobiling are huge winter draws. In June, extreme mountain-bikers pour intotown for the gruelling six-day Ride the Rockies.
Founded in 1871, Colorado Springs has always been regarded as a mountain resort destination. For a while it was called Little London because English tourists flocked to the area. Today, you can visit the Glen Eyrie, the 18th-century castle that was the original home of the resort's founder, General Palmer. The most splash-happy developer was Spencer Penrose, who sunk much of his fortune into some of the town's enduring attractions. He financed the Broadmoor Hotel, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Pikes Peak Highway, which opened up access to the lofty snow-dusted peak that is nicknamed America's Mountain.
In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, a teacher, was so inspired by her trip to Pikes Peak she penned the poem, America the Beautiful. This gorgeous alpine backdrop, with elevations of 4300m is Colorado's most popular haunt for hikers. A plethora of trails, spanning the beginners-to-advanced range of endurance, are begging to be explored - or you can scale the summit on the cog railway. With so many outdoor recreational pursuits on tap it's no surprise that Colorado Springs is home to the Olympic Training Centre.
Free tours will whisk you through the state-of-the-art training areas, the memorabilia hall and the Olympic Flame display. Well worth doing.
Your next stop should be the bewitching red sandstone formations, the Garden of the Gods. These towering rock stacks seem so out of the place in the heart of town, but this wildly natural spectacle, is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
My biggest thrill was delivered courtesy of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. This historic and scenic two-hour train ride whisks you past plenty of Colorado wildlife en route to the highest suspension bridge in the world.
The Royal Gorge Bridge hangs 320m above the Arkansas River and you can walk across the 1000 wooden planks. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad run under the bridge along the banks of the Royal Gorge, which is a 16km canyon plunging to a depth of 375m. I wasn't surprised to learn that the bridge is Colorado's No1 family sightseeing attraction.
