CoSprings: Seven Falls

While we've not been sightseeing this past week, we have been out of the house quite a bit with mom and Aylin. Mostly shopping to decorate the house for the holidays. We also went to a performance by the Seven Falls Indian Dancers ... at one of our local libraries. These activities were bookended by snowstorms ... one not worth mentioning; the other one dropping over three inches earlier this week.

With most of the snow gone by yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the better weather today to go to Seven Falls for a bit of sightseeing and lunch.

The first time Mui and I went to Seven Falls was years ago. I recollect that we stopped to visit The Broadmoor and Seven Falls on our cross-country drive from Salt Lake City to DC in 1991. Back then we were able to drive right into the park. Not so this time. Not sure how recent the change is, but this time we had to park near the Penrose Event Center and take the shuttle (~10-minute drive) included in the admission to Seven Falls. Don’t recall paying admission back in 1991 either. But things change. Or it could just be my memory is faulty after so many years.

Although it was quite comfortable in the sun, it was downright nippy otherwise. Since the tall cliffs on either side of the canyon left the .8-mile road up to the falls in the shade, we decided to forego walking "Colorado's grandest mile of scenery." Instead, we took the miniature-train up. The train is $2pp but is included in the senior admission … for which all but Aylin qualified.

At the top, we had two options to get to Eagle’s Nest, the observation terrace … stairs or the mountain elevator. We opted for the latter since the stairs were in the shade and, of course, mom would not have been able to negotiate them.

The observation terrace was in the sun, so we took our time, enjoying the views of the canyon and the falls. The downside was our timing … the falls were in the shade, with the sun behind them. Less than ideal for photography. It being winter, there wasn’t much water flowing over the different tiers of the falls … a lot of it frozen. It definitely would be better in the spring.

Next, we made our way to the base of the falls. Leaving mom to rest in the pavilion, Aylin, Mui and I hiked partway up the 224-step staircase to the overlook from which we could look down on tiers four through seven ... and look up at Bridal Veil Falls … the third tier.

When we rejoined mom, we walked the short distance to 1858 … the restaurant at the base of the falls. The place is named for the year in which gold was discovered in the Colorado Territory. The menu had a limited selection of items … but we all enjoyed the food we ordered. Because the portions were small we were comfortably sated … with enough room in our tummies for dessert. Aylin and I opted for the gourmet hot chocolate … a little too watery. Mom ordered the goldbrick sundae … made with vanilla ice cream and a mix of chocolate and caramel sauces. Yummmy!

It was downright freezing on the shuttle train back down to the park gate. Luckily, once we arrived, we did not have to wait long for the shuttle bus back to the parking lot. A good thing we have remote access to our thermostat. It felt good to walk into a warm house.En savoir plus