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 was able to pack everything for my trip into my Gregory Jade 28 Daypack and Maxlite® 5 International Carry-On Spinner, both of which I was able to carry on. I fit all of my hiking essentials, camera, portable charger, purse, etc. in my daypack, while my suitcase held my hiking clothes as well as my regular clothes for the rest of the trip. Also within my suitcase, I brought my Peak Design 6L sling bag so that I could fit my camera and essentials for the day on days when I wasn’t hiking and was instead exploring the cities I was staying at.
When I landed at the airport, I took the rental car shuttle to Avis to pick up an SUV. While trailheads for Quandary Peak and Mount Bierstadt (a hike I had planned to go on, but didn’t wind up doing after all) are generally accessible in normal summer conditions with a standard 2WD passenger car, Mount Sherman is a different story.
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, making an SUV or other higher-clearance vehicle a better option. If you don’t have an AWD or 4WD vehicle with good clearance, you can park at the lower trailhead, but doing so can add 2–4 miles of extra walking along the rocky jeep road. Since I wanted to stick as closely as possible to the standard 5.25-mile hike, I chose to rent a vehicle that would give me a better chance of reaching the upper trailhead.
After picking up the rental SUV, I drove to Cliff House at Pike’s 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, offering easy walking access to many of the places I wanted to explore within the downtown area. I had stayed there once before in 2024, but I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the hotel or Manitou Springs during that visit, as I had hurt my leg a couple of days before arriving and then exacerbated the pain by hiking a 14er the day I checked in. This time, I wanted a do-over and a chance to actually enjoy the cute historic hotel.
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 then walked along Manitou Avenue to Soda Springs Park. From there, I backtracked through downtown to photograph some of the town’s public, naturally carbonated mineral spring fountains. Each historic spring offers effervescent water with its own mineral profile, giving the water from each spring a slightly different taste. Or so I read.
I didn’t actually taste any of the water. 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 taking pictures of each one instead.
I started with Stratton Spring, followed by Cheyenne Spring, Shoshone Spring, and ended with Wheeler Spring. I accidentally missed Navajo Spring.
Seven Minute Spring was the one spring I purposely skipped 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. 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!
