Attractive city in an attractive landscape
According to mcat-test-centers, the city of Colorado Springs is located in the Rocky Mountains at the foot of the Pikes Peak mountain range. The town of Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 as a small resort town with numerous Victorian mansions. Denver, the capital of the US state of Colorado, is about 100 kilometers away. There are numerous natural tourist attractions around Colorado Springs. The city in Colorado is an important base of the US Army, the US Air Force. Colorado Springs is a modern, progressive city. Numerous high-tech companies have settled in the city.
Colorado Springs downtown
Center of the evangelical faith
Away from the city center, you almost feel like you are in a small American town, so quiet and peaceful as it is there. Unlike most American cities, Colorado Springs is a popular place to walk. The city lies on a fairly flat plateau at about 1,800 meters above sea level. Colorado Springs is embedded in a breathtaking, unique landscape shaped by mountains. About 479,000 people lived in the city on the Rocky Mountains in 2020, more than 700,000 people in the entire metropolitan area. Colorado Springs is a major center of the evangelical faith movement, an extreme form of evangelical Protestantism. Colorado Springs’ annual population growth is above average.
Excellent as a high altitude training camp
Major training facilities for top American athletes, US Olympians (both Winter and Summer Olympics) are located in the high-altitude city of Colorado Springs, as is the US Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Due to the high altitude, the region is very well suited for human endurance training due to the “thin” air. In addition to the hot and dry summers on the Colorado Springs plateau. there is enough snow in the mountains of the region in winter to practice winter sports. The city is also an important location for the US Boxer Association.
Pioneer Museum in Colorado Springs
Great offer for tourists and nature lovers
Colorado Springs is an ideal starting point for exploring the region’s uniquely beautiful landscapes. The attraction, which is very well visited by tourists, beautiful mountain landscapes with unique rock formations such as ” Garden of the Gods ” and the ” Manitou Cliff Dwellings ” are easily accessible not far from the city. Aside from the city itself, Pikes Peak, also known as “America’s Mountain,” is a well-visited natural attraction. Two historic railroad lines are popular with visitors to conveniently explore the Rocky Mountain region around Colorado Springs by rail.
About an hour’s drive from Colorado Springs is one of the tallest suspension bridges in the world, called the Royal Gorge Bridge, which crosses the Arkansas River. It is located near the town of Cañon City and leads over a deep canyon. Those afraid of heights should avoid this attraction. Timid contemporaries can cross the gorge with a closed gondola. A cog railway runs down the gorge to the Arkansas River.
Air Force Academy – Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs
Culture and leisure
For culture vultures, Colorado Springs has a number of interesting museums to explore such as the Western Museum and the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. There are good shopping opportunities in the city center as well as excellent restaurants to quench your hunger and thirst. Away from the city and the numerous visitor destinations, the region around Colorado Springs offers plenty of space for leisure activities. Hiking, mountaineering, cycling, mountain biking and horseback riding are very popular there. For mountain bikers, the descent from Pikes Peak down to Colorado Springs is an absolute highlight. Whitewater rafting is available on the Arkansas River. Hikes through the nearby area of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monumentlet people and their souls come to rest.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – Colorado
The Dark Canyon
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is located in the US state of Colorado. Every year up to 160,000 tourists come to the still young national park. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was first designated by then-US President Bill Clinton in October 1999. The area of the national park is 124.4 km²; making it the third smallest national park in the United States. The largest part of the national park consists of a deep gorge, the Black Canyon. The rock walls of the canyon drop steeply up to 600 meters. The canyon walls are made of dark slate, hence the name Black Canyon. Down in the gorge, the sunlight arrives very sparsely.
Special climate in the Black Canyon
The climatic conditions of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park are extreme, so there are no settlements in the canyon or in the immediate vicinity. The vegetation of the canyon consists of pine, pine and juniper trees and shrubs. The national park’s bird life is led by eagle owls and peregrine falcons; but there are a number of other bird species in the national park, even hummingbirds.
John W Gunnison
The national park was named by John W. Gunnison, who explored the Black Canyon for a railway company. The entire region and a nearby town bear his name today, although John W. Gunnison stayed in the area for only three days. Before the whites, the Ute Native Americans lived in this area, but not in the canyon itself. In the middle of the 18th century, Spanish expeditions roamed the area of today’s national park. Even later, exploratory expeditions came again and again to the area of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in search of mineral resources and water. Eventually it came to the realization that the Black Canyon is only suitable for recreational purposes, but not too much more.
Tamed Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is dammed three times on its way through Black Canyon, which means it has lost its original wildness. Only the last 20 km of the Black Canyon, admittedly also the most beautiful part of the canyon, has been able to preserve its original character. Most visitors approach the national park via the South Rim, the southern edge of the gorge. The North Rim is visited less frequently because it is more difficult to reach. The landscape on the north edge of the gorge is just as beautiful. In the winter, you can cross-country ski the plateau along Black Canyon, or traverse the area on snowshoes. The closest towns to the National Park are Montrose (13 miles), Delta (35 miles) and Gunnison (62 miles).
Hiking in Gunnison National Park
Hiking through the hinterland of the national park is possible. You should only prepare very well for it because of the route and the wildlife. Camping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park backcountry is permitted. Sufficient water and food must be carried with you. Boat tours on the reservoirs are offered for more leisurely natures. Or you can take part in a guided hike. A road runs along the south rim of the canyon. If you drive along there, you will find many beautiful views of the canyon. There are numerous hiking trails around the Black Canyon that are very popular with hikers. A path leads from the canyon rim down into the canyon to the Gunnison River flowing there. But this way is only suitable for outspoken professionals.
Camping in Gunnison National Park
There are two campgrounds in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. There is the North Rim and the South Rim Campground. Black bears keep popping up at both campgrounds. Therefore, the camping rules must be strictly observed to protect animals and people. The national park administration offers bear-proof lockers. Food and scented products such as perfume or spray must be locked away. There must be no leftovers of any kind on the campsite. Everything must be cleaned after the meal. The rubbish containers must be locked.
North Rim Campground is open spring through fall. No hook-up service is provided. Fresh water for the RV’s cannot be refilled. Overly large RV’s don’t do well on these campgrounds. Reservations are not possible. The South Rim Campground is partially open year-round.