Find Stunning Nature Outside Colorado Springs at Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Towering mountains, dense green forests, and a snowy winter wonderland that lasts for half the year. Sounds like Colorado if you ask me. How about including some dramatic red rock formations into the mix? Yes, please!
If you’re looking for a red rock escape into nature, not far from the cities downtown streets, then look no further than Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
Only 10 minutes from the city of Colorado Springs, and 5 minutes from Manitou Springs, this massive park is an ideal destination to get that nature fix you’ve been craving.
Enjoy a long day exploring the many scenic trails or stop in just for an hour or less to catch a breath of fresh air. Whether it be 10 minutes or the entire day, you’ll feel your mind instantly relax from the first few steps into the park.
🌻 Our content may contain affiliate links. If clicked through to make a purchase, the price remains the same for you and we will earn a small commission. This helps us to continue creating useful and valuable content for you and other visitors. 💜Red Rock Canyon Open Space Details/Info
Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a wide 1,474-acre city park that has a large variety of hiking trails through it’s incredible red rock landscape. Dominant characteristics include numerous rocky canyons and ridges that have been uplifted and eroded over time.
The park’s entrance is located along Highway 24 just east of Manitou Springs and West of Colorado Springs.
Parking is available in 2 large parking lots just past the entrance on Ridge Rd after turning left.
- Hours of Operation:
- Nov 1 – Apr 30: 5AM – 9PM
- May 1 to Oct 31: 5AM – 11PM
- Cost of Admission: Free (yeah, we love that too!)
- Bathrooms available on site
- Dogs must be kept on leash except in the Upper and Lower Dog Loops
- Bring proper hiking shoes for the uneven terrain as well as your top essentials for hiking
Overnight lodging and accommodations are readily available at Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. The city of Colorado Springs is much larger than Manitou Springs and has a wide variety of hotels, restaurants, breweries, and groceries.
Although, if you’re looking for a more quaint and charming town to spend the night, Manitou Springs is your place to go. The small Colorado town has 1 brewery, a historic downtown, and a few shops and restaurants to roam around.
We decided on a cozy Airbnb in Colorado Springs just 8 minutes away from the park. We love having a full kitchen during our travels to make home-cooked meals at the end of an adventurous day. Feel free to use our coupon code which saves you $55 off your first night’s stay!
Hiking Through Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Where to begin? Red Rock Canyon Open Space has TONS of trails to explore throughout its vast region. Around 21 trails give or take.
Since there are so many intertwining paths, it’s easy to find yourself hiking through a multitude of different trails in a short amount of time.
You can see just by the map below how many trails there are to choose from! Green being easy trails, blue being intermediate, and white being ADA accessible.
Click the image below for a larger, more detailed view.
Unlike the nearby and more popular red rock park Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon Open Space is much quieter and less trafficked. Making it easier to disconnect and enjoy your surroundings without any unwanted stress.
During our visit, we simply chose a path and freely wandered. We highly recommend you do as well as it’s the best way to take in the park!
Although, for a more specific path (and to see 2 of our favorite spots in the park), hike the main Red Rock Canyon Trail to Quarry Pass Trail. A quick walk through some of the more unique features of the park.
FUN FACT – Rock climbing is popular at the park with as many as 85 established routes! To rock climb, you must register at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center first or you may be subject to a fine or possible jail time.
Red Rock Canyon Trail to Quarry Pass Trail
Red Rock Canyon Trail is about 1-mile long, one-way, starting from the parking lot to the trail’s end. Or about 0.7 miles from the parking lot to Quarry Pass Trail.
Along the way, you’ll pass 2 amazing spots that were definitely highlights during our adventure.
THE LAKE AT RED ROCK CANYON OPEN SPACE
Just 0.3 miles in from the parking lot, you’ll come up on a quaint lake on your right side. You can walk up the shore’s edge to take in the scenic view of the lake paired with a tall, jagged red rock formation in the background.
We were here in January during the dead of winter so the lake was completely frozen over. Visit in the warmer months for a totally different environment made up of greenery and rippling water.
There are 2 divided sections of this lake, the smaller side being along Red Rock Canyon Trail. If you want to see the larger side, you can do so along the Greenlee Trail on the other side.
Once you’re done viewing the lake, continue along Red Rock Canyon Trail for another 0.4 miles to reach Quarry Pass.
QUARRY PASS
Soon enough, you will see Quarry Pass on the right. It’s hard to miss as you’re essentially looking up at a shaved and sculpted rock wall, mixed with shades of red, orange, and black. Not your typical thing to see out in the wild!
To get a closer view, you can climb up an interesting man-made staircase that is drilled directly into the rock. This takes you directly up into the quarry.
The embedded staircase is a pretty sweet design to incorporate the steps conveniently into the landscape!
Once at the top, you can walk around the area to see all the crevices of rock that were carved out. Looks like vertical cuts were made, leaving behind slick 90° angle walls.
Although the big question here is – Why the heck was this even done in the first place?!
*FUN HISTORY LESSON!*
Well, the site you are walking on was actually once known as the Kenmuir Quarry. Owned and operated by the Greenlee family of Denver, this chunk of mountain was carved away and sent to Denver to be used in the construction of many buildings from 1888-1893.
Many favored this type of rock for its rich color and because it is so easily carvable. (Bummer for the mountain)
Because Denver had more wealthy residents, the red rock buildings were much more common in Denver than Colorado Springs. Many of these buildings you can still see today!
A few significant sites include Croke-Patterson-Campbell Mansion, Creswell Mansion, and Keating Mansion.
Once ready, you can choose to walk further down Quarry Pass Trail to reach the other side of the formation. From here you can explore the other side of the park. Or simply go back the way you came and continue hiking the other many trails.
Easily Escape into Red Rock Paradise at Red Rock Canyon Open Space
The widespread park of Red Rock Canyon Open Space is an ideal and convenient destination right outside Colorado Springs. Those looking to spend the day hiking, or those wanting a quick break into nature, can easily find it here among the tall red canyons and gorgeous sculpted ridges.
We highlighted just a brief section of the park that stood out to us the most. Red Rock Canyon Trail and Quarry Pass Trail might be the most memorable, but we highly recommend that you explore the rest of this amazing place.
With loads of trails to choose from, simply pick a path and enjoy wandering.
For more red rock parks such as these, make sure you check out Roxborough State Park just north of Denver! Or read our post on our full Epic 8 Day Colorado Road Trip which includes many more incredible outdoor destinations.
Have any questions about the park? Have you been to Red Rock Canyon Open Space? Tell us in the comments below!
Like this? Pin it!
