United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air Force. The program at the Academy is based on its core values of "Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do". In the late 1940s, the push began for a separate Air Force training Academy. Colorado Springs was selected as the site. In 1955, the first cadets were sworn in at the temporary site in Denver at Lowry Air Force Base. In 1958, the United States Air Force Academy opened north of Colorado Springs.
The Academy’s campus covers 18,000 acres and is located on the east side of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains. This places the Academy at 7,258 ft above sea level. The Cadet Area of the Academy was designated at National Historic Landmark in 2004. The Barry Goldwater Air Force Academy Visitor Center serves as the gateway to the Academy, providing information on its history and cadet life to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Named for retired Arizona Senator Barry M. Goldwater, an avid supporter of the Academy, the 31,600-sq. ft building contains exhibits, a snack bar, and a gift shop. The 250-seat theater shows a 14-minute movie throughout the day highlighting the Academy experience. The exhibit area details the history of the Academy and cadet life. A one-third-mile paved nature trail east of the facility allows visitors to walk to the Cadet Chapel. (This is a strenuous walk with many hills. It is wheelchair accessible, but the Academy does not provide wheelchairs for outdoor use.)
Tour highlights include the Cadet Chapel with 17 spires soaring 150 feet into the sky. The Air Force Academy Chapel is an all-faith house of worship, with a separate chapel for each of the three major religious faiths represented in the Air Force: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish, plus two all-faiths worship rooms. The Chapel is closed occasionally for weddings, funerals, and or private events. The Falcon Store gift shop offers a discount to active or retired military service members who present a military ID card. Arnold Hall offers military and Academy exhibits, a snack bar, and an auditorium for special events and official functions. The Honor Court contains bronze statues and aircraft memorials. The Field House facility includes an indoor athletic field, ice rink, basketball court, and a snack bar.
Other things to see at the United States Air Force Academy include the Cadet Lunch Formation, the retired aircraft, and the scenic hiking trails. The “parade” of the cadet wing marching to lunch occurs just past noon on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. There are numerous aircraft on display throughout the Academy. These include an F-4, F-15, F-16, F-100, and F-105, a B-52, a T-38, an A-10, Minuteman III. The Stanley Canyon and Falcon hiking trails are open from early morning to sundown.
Only self-guided tours are offered. The Barry M. Goldwater Visitor Center and the United States Air Force Academy is open daily year round and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Pikes Peak
Though Pikes Peak is not the tallest mountain in the United States, it is the most visited. While visitors at McKinley in Alaska or Mount Rainier in Washington must battle the ravages of snow capped peaks and glaciers, visitors to Pikes Peak can travel up a road to the 14,110 ft summit or sit in the comfort of a cog railway car to the top. At the summit of Pikes Peak, stunning scenery is the view, from the red rock formations at the Garden of the Gods to the eastern plains of Colorado. The easternmost peak of the Colorado’s 54 fourteeners, Pikes Peak stands out as a visible landmark. Zebulon Pike, soldier and explorer for whom the mountain was named, first saw the peak from 100 miles away. Because of its stature, explorers and pioneers headed to the 1859 Gold Rush with the cry, “Pikes Peak or Bust!”
Today, six million visitors make their way to this majestic mountain peak just to the west of Colorado Springs and about 70 miles south of Denver.
The Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway offers an easy ride to the 14,110-ft summit of Pikes Peak. The special cog railway is the highest cog railroad in the world. It is reaches elevations that no other train in the United States reaches. The 19-mile Pikes Peak Highway, paved part of the way, is open year round. Barr Trail offers the greatest base-to-summit elevation gain in the state for a total climb of 7,400 feet. Each year, nearly 15,000 people a year attempt to climb Pikes Peak on foot. The 13-mile trail begins at the base of Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs.
Three annual events are held at Pikes Peak. Every June, the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb is a race on the 12.42-mile gravel summit road. The Pikes Peak Marathon is a 26-mile race up and down Barr Trail. Held each August, this event draws runners from all over the world. The third event is the AdAmAn Club New Years Fireworks display held on December 31 at midnight when the New Year begins.
The Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs area is a tourist delight with plenty of other attractions to discover other than Pikes Peak. Within a small radius near Pikes Peak, popular tourist attractions include Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, North Pole, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Will Rogers Shrine, historic Broadmoor, Cave of the Winds, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, the high-altitude U.S. Olympic Training Complex, and much more.
Rocky Mountain National Park
From lush green valleys and high desert plains, to majestic mountain peaks, the Rocky Mountains divide the continent of North America from Mexico to Canada. In Colorado, the eastern plains give way to foothills; the foothills lead into mountains with 54 summits over 14,000 feet. The western half of Colorado is dominated by the mountains and the resulting offspring ranges. This is Colorado, as the world knows it. The mountains are the home to the world-class ski resort communities of Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge. The resort communities attract the rich and famous. To the northeast of the main skiing meccas, lies Rocky Mountain National Park, near the town of Estes Park.
Early explorers to the west found the Rocky Mountains almost impassable. The Ute and Arapaho tribes, however, had long discovered the natural paths and forged trails to cross over the mountains regularly in the area now preserved as Rocky Mountain National Park. The two historic roads through Rocky Mountain National Park follow the general routes mapped out by the Natives Americans. These roads are the historic one-way Fall River Road, and the scenic Trail Ridge Road. Completed in 1932, Trail Ridge Road bears the distinction of being the highest contiguous highway in the United States, reaching heights of 12,183 ft with 8 miles over 11,000 ft. The roads wind through deep forest glades and across the open treeless tundra, providing views of wildflowers and wild animals.
Along with scenic vistas, Rocky Mountain National Park is populated with wildlife including elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, black bears, coyotes, cougars, and plenty of other smaller animals. Autumn is the time for mating season of the elk and going to the park to hear the elk bugle is a popular activity. Eagles and hawks soar through the air. Wildflowers bloom in June and July splashing the meadows and the hillsides with brilliant colors. Autumn brings gold leaves to the aspen, and winter sends a blanket of white snow to quiet the area. The west side of the park receives the most snowpack and is ideal for cross-country skiing. The east side offers trails suitable for snowshoeing. A winter play area in Hidden Valley is suitable for sledding when there is sufficient snowpack. Snowmobiling is allowed along a two-mile stretch in the southwest corner of the park.
To fully experience Rocky Mountain National Park, visit a museum, take a scenic drive, fish, camp, climb a mountain, hike, view wildlife, or participate in a Ranger-led program. The Holzwarth Historic District is a former guest (dude) ranch on the Colorado River. Open in the summer, guided tours are available of the dozen small cabins. The Moraine Park Museum offers exhibits on natural history and a nature trail. The backcountry area of Rocky Mountain National Park offers hiking trails up through wilderness including up the 14,255-ft Longs Peak. Nearby Estes Park is a quaint resort town filled with candy and ice cream shops, boutiques, cafes, and more.
There are several visitor centers at Rocky Mountain National Park. The Alpine located at the junction of Old Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road is closed in winter. Beaver Meadows just outside of Estes Park is open year round and offers an introductory film about the park. The Fall River and the Kawuneeche centers are also open year round.