Cave of the Winds - Manitou Springs, CO

If you are in the Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs area and are looking for a great day trip, I highly recommend Cave of the Winds.

In our travels, Lisa and I explored Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and Longhorn Cavern State Park in Texas. I am always up for a good cavern tour, and I was excited when I found Cave of the Winds park.

The caves were formed over millions of years but were discovered in the 1880s when two brothers went exploring in the mountains. It’s hard to imagine the courage it took to crawl into a hole in the ground with simple candles and explore the caves, but that’s what they did. Electricity was introduced to parts of the cavern in 1907 making the cave system accessible (and much safer) to tourists.

The park offers several tour packages. You can take the 45–60-minute Discovery Tour or the Haunted Lantern Tour where you have the opportunity to explore parts of the cave not accessible to the Discovery groups. This is a 90-minute tour, over a mile of walking using antique candle lanterns just like they did in the old days. At one point during the tour, you can extinguish your lamps to see what total darkness looks like.

Wind Walker Challenge Course

Topside, the fun continues with the Terror-Dactyl – a thrill-seeker’s dream ride. Strap into the seat and get ready for a 150-foot freefall into Williams Canyon where you will swing back and forth hundreds of feet off the ground. You can almost hear the screams from the parking lot!

Less terrifying but still worth the experience, the Bat-a-Pult will launch you on a 1200-foot round trip zip line along the rim of Williams Canyon at speeds reaching 40 miles per hour. It’s a short ride (prepare for the sudden stop at the end) but will definitely keep the adrenalin pumping.

They also offer the Wind Walker Challenge course, an elevated obstacle course that is guaranteed to get your heart racing. The course offers elevated rope, steel beams, and ladder challenges to test your balance, endurance, and bravery. Fun for all ages.

Don’t forget to check out the gift shop and grab a bite to eat at the Canyon Rim Grill.