Manitou Mesa
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Intemann Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Smallbones · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Manitou Springs
13% of Manitou Springs’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Manitou Springs, 4.9 per square mile of land. 13% of Manitou Springs’ land is conserved, about 261 acres.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #24 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
261 acres · of 3.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
4.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
111 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.1 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 1.3 mi paths
Highest peak
7,375 ft
Red Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Manitou Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild13% of the land is conserved; a typical Colorado town, 7%.A trail town4.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, among the top 1% of U.S. towns.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.History along the way13 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manitou Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manitou Springs is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #24 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manitou Springs’ overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%A−Trails4.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (111 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 85%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Manitou Springs’ 13% is ahead of 70% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Manitou Mesa, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Deer Valley Nature Park
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Manitou Mesa7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSchryver Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Fields Community Park12 acres
DirectionsDeer Valley Nature Park7 acres
Soda Springs Park2 acres
DirectionsHigginbotham Flats Open Space2 acres
Mansions Park1 acres
DirectionsBill Bauer's Park1 acres
Seven Minute Spring Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
261 conserved acres
13% of Manitou Springs’ land. Who manages Manitou Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits210 ac
Town or city204 ac
Conservation Easement · 193 acLocal Park · 82 acUnknown Easement · 78 acRecreation or Education Easement · 31 acOther Easement · 25 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 172 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barr Trail Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Garden Of The Gods Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Manitou Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Soda Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Manitou Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Manitou Springs
Manitou Playpark
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Manitou Springs
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Manitou Springs
Red Mountain7,375 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Manitou Springs
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Manitou Springs
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.8 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 10.7 mi
Intemann Trail1.3 mi
Ute Indian Trail1.2 mi
Ute Pass Trail1.1 mi
High School Trail1.0 mi
Northern Incline Return Trail;1.0 mi
Barr Trail1.0 mi
Red Mountain Trail0.5 mi
Path from Ruxton to base of Incline0.3 mi
Iron Mountain Trail0.2 mi
Eagle Mountain Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Intemann Trail Neighborhood Access
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Tennis
2Tracks
1Basketball
1Football
1Skate park
1Baseball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
BriarhurstBuilding · listed 1973
About itMiramontBuilding · listed 1977
About itManitou BathhouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itBarker HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itFirst Congregational ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itCliff HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWheeler BankBuilding · listed 1980
About itCrystal Valley CemeterySite · listed 1982
About itKeithley Log Cabin Development DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itManitou Springs Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itBridge over Fountain CreekStructure · listed 1985
About itManitou Springs Bridges (2)Structure · listed 1985
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Manitou Springs: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 47 | 54 | 60 | 69 | 80 | 85 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
December is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 3.2 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Manitou Springs →
Next door
Manitou Springs and its neighbors
Manitou Springs has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitou Springs | 13% | 4.9 | 23 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Colorado Springs | 12% | 2.0 | 21 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Manitou Springs
Where can I hike in Manitou Springs?
The longest trail networks: Manitou Mesa, 0.3 miles; Schryver Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Manitou Springs is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Manitou Springs’ trails?
Manitou Mesa and The Fields Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Manitou Springs?
2.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 1.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Manitou Springs?
73,846 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manitou Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 127 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Manitou Springs have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #24 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Manitou Springs neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →