Cheyenne Canyon and Helen Hunt Falls

I go to visit Cheyenne Canyon and Helen Hunt Falls at least two times a week. I use the canyon to picnic, hike, bike and get away from the business of city life in general. The history reverberates on the canyon walls. The creek that meanders through the canyon is peaceful as it babbles along. A natural amphitheater is hidden in one of the canyons, and there are also many bridges and arches built over the last century.

Helen Hunt Falls is gorgeous no matter the season and is accessible to everyone. If you are lucky to see the Bruin Inn is open, pop in and talk to the folks inside. They have a lot of information about trails, wildlife and history. There are many events in Cheyenne Canyon such as hummingbird festivals, and races/walks. Community members get together for regular trail maintenance. No matter how many times I drive up there I see something new.

How to get there: From I-25 take the Tejon St./Nevada Ave. exit 140 ** Turn right on Tejon St. ** Slight right on W. Cheyenne Blvd. **Slight right on N. Cheyenne Canon Rd. ** Follow road to the entrance.

What to expect: The paved road winds quite a bit so take the curves slowly because it can be narrow. There are many pull-offs for various hiking trails and picnic areas. Midway is Helen Hunt Falls, with the Bruin Inn, parking spots, and porta-potties. There are steep stone cut stairs if you want to climb to the top of the falls and look down. The trail that continues on will eventually lead you to Silver Cascade Falls. Caution: All of the boulders and rocks in Cheyenne Canyon are very slippery even when they are not wet. Stay on the trails. These rocks can be deceiving and many people have gotten hurt by leaving the trails.

If you continue past Helen Hunt Falls, you will eventually come to another dirt parking lot. This is the entrance to the old Gold Camp road that is closed to vehicles (it used to go to Cripple Creek). You can also access the High Drive – weather pending, and the new Gold Camp Road. The High Drive is one-way, and Gold Camp has two way traffic. Both drives are very steep and are dirt roads. Gold Camp has two man-made tunnels. Either roads will end up on 26th street where you can get back into the Springs.

Trails: The main trails available are Columbine, Mt. Cutler, Silver Cascade Falls, St. Mary’s Falls, The Chutes, Stratton Open Space, Captain Jacks and Seven Bridges.

Picnic Areas: All of the picnic areas are before you get to Helen Hunt Falls.

Climbing: Do not climb without a permit. Do not scramble rocks. People get hurt very easy when they get into situations bigger than their experience. Some places people do climb are Graduation Boulder, Crow’s Nest, The Pinnacle (Sun Slabs, Creekside Wall and Big West Face), The Amphitheater, The Flying Buttress, and Fly Cave Wall.