Your guide to Colorado Springs

Things to do in
Colorado Springs

Locals say “westside is the best side,” and once you live here you’ll get it. This is the honest rundown of where our residents actually go: coffee that lets you camp out, cheap food that fills you up, trails a few minutes from your door, and a night out that isn’t campus.

Get outside

Your backyard is why people move here

Free, open year round, and genuinely unreal. Easy paved loops for a quick walk, real trails and world-class climbing if you want more. Go early, before the tour buses.

The locals' Garden of the Gods. Same red-rock views, a fraction of the crowd, and dog-friendly, so bring your roommate with four legs.

Easy trails, disc golf, picnic tables, and a dog park. The low-key reset for when you don't want to drive far or work too hard for the view.

Closer to UCCS. A quick trail run or a view over the north end when you've got an hour between classes and need to move.

Coffee and study spots

Where to camp out and get it done

In-house bakery, honey-lavender lattes, and enough seating to hold down a table for a whole study block. Cozy without being precious about it.

Built to hang and study in, across from Bancroft Park, with local live music most weeks. Good for a group project that's really just an excuse to get coffee.

Set in an old schoolhouse near Garden of the Gods. The post-trail cup, and a solid quiet spot to knock out a few hours of work.

Serious coffee if you actually care about the beans. Grab it to go on the way to class, or post up if there's a seat.

Cheap eats

Filling, fast, and close

Tibetan and Nepalese, filling and affordable, and a nice break from the usual student rotation. Get the momos.

A west-side breakfast staple, served all day, for the mornings you earned a real one instead of a granola bar in the car.

Stacked sandwiches and a back patio with Pikes Peak views. Cheap, fast, and huge. The reliable lunch that ruins other sandwiches for you.

A night out that isn't campus

West-side after dark

Rooftop with Pikes Peak right behind it. The easy Friday move when you want to be out but not far from home.

The neighborhood sports bar. Every TV, cheap drinks, and a real Sunday Funday when you need to turn your brain off after a long week.

Greek, a little nicer, and a free shot of ouzo if you sit at the bar. The move for when someone's parents are in town and picking up the check.

Getting around

How to get to campus, and everywhere else

To UCCS: about a 15 minute walk, 5 minutes by car, or take transit so you’re not fighting for a UCCS permit spot that fills up fast.
Public transit: Mountain Metropolitan Transit runs city bus routes nearby.
On foot or on a bike: Old Colorado City, coffee, and the Red Rock Canyon trails are close enough to walk or ride on a nice day.
The mountains and the city: Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon are minutes west. Downtown and Colorado College are a short drive south.

Come see the west side

Tour it, then go
get a coffee

Book a tour, catch the view, and we’ll point you to our favorite spot down the street.