This was one of our favorite visits in Colorado Springs. North Cheyenne Canon has great scenery and this is a city park. There's Helen Hunt and Silver Cascade Falls for starters. Silver Cascade Falls requires a short hike gaining in elevation. This falls is more like a sloping stream down rocks, more than a gushing vertical drop of water. Helen Hunt Falls is right on the road and more impressive as far as waterfalls go. However, the views are worth the walk up to the Silver Cascade Falls.
If you continue past the falls, Gold Camp Road becomes a dirt road and goes through two tunnels that were blasted through the rock. This road gives one the feeling of being in the mountain wilderness, then it ends right in a residential section of town. We thought that was neat. Good views of downtown and the Broadmoor Resort along the way. A nice, scenic drive.
One can do what we did in 60 to 90 minutes, so it won't chew up a large chunk of your day. We were heading out of town, but wanted to see this park before we did. There are enough hikes that one could spend an entire day in the park. This Monday morning there were not many people in the park which made it even better. I recommend stopping in at the Visitor's Center to get a map on the way in.
