On Walkabout On: The Silver Cascade Falls Trail, Colorado

Summary

• Name: Silver Cascade Falls
• Where: Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Distance: Less than 1 mile
• Difficulty: Easy (200 feet elevation gain)
• More Information: Colorado Springs Trails

Narrative

North Cheyenne Canyon and its  beautiful Helen Hunt Falls is one of the most scenic and yet easy to access locations around Colorado Springs that I often take my family or visitors to the city to check out:

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At the head of the canyon there is a large parking area where visitors can park and take in the views of Helen Hunt Falls:

Besides the nice views of Helen Hunt Falls there is also a short trail that allows visitors to get a view of another nearby waterfall, Silver Cascade Falls:

The hike is an easy one considering it is less than a mile round-trip and only gains 200 feet in altitude.  This time up the trail I decided to see how well my 2.5 year old can handle the trail.  My wife and I had to hold her hand to help her up some of the steps but for the most part she made it to the top of the trail on her own.  Where the trail flattens out a bit near the top is where the first views of Silver Cascade Falls become available:

The falls flow over a very smooth rock face that has a silvery color which is why I assume it got its name Silver Cascade Falls:

Up above the falls there is a small creek that my toddler had a lot fun splashing around in on what was a fairly warm day with temperatures in the 70’s Farenheit:

At the very end of the trail there is a viewpoint of the waterfall:

Silver Cascade Falls is not as scenic as Helen Hunt Falls but the viewpoint from here does provide better views of North Cheyenne Canyon.  From the viewpoint the views looking down North Cheyenne Canyon and towards Colorado Springs in the distance are outstanding:

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier in this posting, a drive up North Cheyenne followed by a stop at Helen Hunt Falls and then a walk up to Silver Cascade Falls is a trip that I usually take friends and family visiting me in the Springs on.  The scenery as absolutely top notch, there is little bit of easy exercise and fresh air involved, and it is free.  There is no entrance fee to North Cheyenne Canyon which I believe with the Garden of the Gods has to rank as one of the best city parks in the country.  So for anyone visiting Colorado Springs I highly recommend not only visiting the more popular Garden of the Gods, but take a drive up North Cheyenne Canyon as well because it really is a hidden gem that locals here in Colorado Springs take full advantage of.