Sharing Our Travels : Seven Falls in Colorado Springs

10/6/15 Tuesday. Finally a pretty day! After three days of nothing but fog, it was the supposed to clear up, so we decided to go to Seven Falls in Colorado Springs. The falls is a series of seven cascading waterfalls of South Cheyenne Creek in South Cheyenne Canyon. It is a privately owned tourist attraction since in was opened in the early 1800’s . Seven Falls is located in Colorado Springs along the Front Range. The South Cheyenne Canyon road to Seven Falls has been called "The Grandest Mile of Scenery" in Colorado. The falls are located in a 1,000 feet granite canyon. The Broadmooor Resort, built in 1819 and a beautiful old world Spanish style huge complex, now owns the falls and spent 11 million dollars over the last 2 years restoring the area after a devastating flood in 2013. The whole area is now so pretty with paved road, trails, gardens, and a new restaurant.

We visited the falls in 2006 and back then it was still pretty rustic and you could drive up the pretty canyon all the way to the base of the falls. Now you have to park at a Broadmoor parking lot and take the free shuttle to a ticket booth that is .8 of a mile from the falls. You can take another shuttle to the base of the falls or you can walk the road and and some small loop trails that follow the river.

On such a nice day, we walked. It was overcast for awhile but then began to clear after lunch. My friend here at the gift shop is the official greeter!

The sum of the height of the seven falls is 181 feet and there are a total of 224 steps on the staircase from the base of the falls to the peak. There is a wheel-chair accessible elevator—that bypasses 185 of the 224 steps—to the Eagle's Nest observation platform. We took the elevator. Note the steep see-through steps on the left side of the falls. Not for me! You won’t get me up there!

.The falls are named from top to bottom: Bridal Veil, Feather, Hill, Hull, Ramona, Shorty, and Weimer. Susan Joy Paul, author of Hiking Waterfalls in Colorado, describes it as "seven leaps of plunge, cascade, punchbowl, fan, and horsetail spray." Seven Falls is Colorado’s only waterfall that is included in the National Geographic list of international waterfalls. Viewing the falls from the Eagle’s Nest was high enough for me! Once the sun came out even more, the surrounding canyon was really pretty with all the unique rock formations.