Colorado - Day 1: Chicago to Manitou Springs, CO
Chicago to Manitou Springs, CO
On Saturday, August 22, 2026, I took a morning flight from Chicago O’Hare to Denver International Airport. My flight left Chicago at 10:55am and landed in Denver at 12:45pm.
I hate checking a bag when I fly. Luckily, I managed to pack everything for the trip into my Gregory Jade 28 Daypack and Maxlite® 5 International Carry-On Spinner.
I kept my hiking essentials, camera, portable charger, and other necessities in my daypack. My suitcase held both my hiking clothes and the regular clothes I planned to wear when I wasn’t hiking. I also packed my Peak Design 6L sling bag inside my suitcase to use on sightseeing days, when I only needed my camera and a few essentials while exploring.
When I landed at the airport, I took the rental car shuttle to Avis to pick up my SUV. I have Avis Preferred, a free car rental loyalty program that allows members to skip the rental counter at participating locations, go straight to their assigned vehicle, and earn points toward free rental days. I had read quite a few negative experiences about renting from Avis at the Denver airport, particularly regarding long waits at the rental counter. Because I had Avis Preferred and was able to bypass the counter, I didn’t have any issues picking up my car.
I specifically chose an SUV because I planned to hike Mount Sherman during this trip. The road to the upper trailhead on Fourmile Creek Road, where the standard 5.25-mile route begins, becomes increasingly rough and uneven as you approach it. An SUV or other vehicle with good clearance gives you a better chance of reaching the upper trailhead. If your vehicle doesn’t have enough clearance for the rougher sections of the road, you can park at the lower trailhead, but doing so can add 2–4 miles of extra walking along the rocky jeep road. I wanted to stick as closely as possible to the standard 5.25-mile hike, which is why having a vehicle capable of reaching the upper trailhead was important to me.
After picking up the rental SUV, I drove to The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, stopping at Safeway along the way for some groceries for the week.
I chose to stay at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak because it’s located in the heart of Manitou Springs, within easy walking distance of many of the places I wanted to explore downtown. I had also stayed there during the Manitou Springs portion of my Colorado trip in 2024 and really liked the hotel. It felt comfortable and familiar, and the location made it an easy choice for this trip.
My stay cost $540 for two nights, which I found to be relatively affordable. Valet parking was an additional $20 per day..
After dropping off my bags, I headed back out to wander around Manitou Springs.
Manitou Springs
I started my mini walking tour of Manitou Springs by walking down Arcade Street, passing the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade at 930 Manitou Avenue. The arcade is filled with hundreds of classic and vintage games, many of which still cost only pennies, dimes, or quarters to play. I didn’t stop to play any of the games, but I enjoyed seeing it as I passed by.
I then walked along Manitou Avenue to Soda Springs Park. From there, I backtracked through downtown to photograph some of the town’s public mineral spring fountains.
Manitou Springs has eight naturally carbonated public mineral springs, all of which are free to visit and flow 24 hours a day. Each historic spring has its own mineral profile, giving the naturally effervescent water from each one a slightly different taste. Or so I read.
I didn’t actually taste any of it, as I hadn’t thought to bring a water bottle with me, and I wasn’t sure whether it would be frowned upon to cup the water in my hands and drink directly from the spring. So, I settled for photographing the springs I visited instead. I later learned that the Visitor Center offers a self-guided spring map and sells small reusable cups for anyone who wants to sample the water.
I started with Stratton Spring, followed by Cheyenne Spring and Shoshone Spring, and ended with Wheeler Spring. I accidentally missed Navajo Spring.
I purposely skipped Seven Minute Spring that day. While the other springs I visited were fairly close together in downtown Manitou Springs, Seven Minute Spring was about a 10-minute walk away. By that point, I had also gotten pretty hungry, so I decided to save it for a different day.
For dinner, I went to Border Burger Bar, where I ordered The Coloradan burger and a Blackberry Mock Mojito. Since this trip was so hiking-focused, I decided not to drink any alcohol until after I had finished my planned hikes, as I wanted to give myself the best chance to acclimate to the elevation and feel good for the hikes ahead.
After dinner, I headed back to the hotel to relax and get to bed early before my hot air balloon ride the next morning!
