Hi there! My name is Emma and thanks for checking out my article on Manitou Springs in Colorado. I’m from Taos, New Mexico which is a small town in the mountains of northern New Mexico. This small town has a rich culture and history, and plenty of amazing outdoor adventures on offer.
I guess you could say I have always enjoyed traveling. When I was a kid my mom and I went on multiple road trips and we always had a blast exploring different parts of the United States together. I began traveling more seriously as an adult when I spent two months in Bali, Indonesia in 2014.
This was my first overseas trip and I fell in love with exploring new places. In the past two years, I have spent more time adventuring in the outdoors, hiking, camping and paddleboarding. I love these types of adventures!
Weekend Getaway to Manitou Springs
As Taos is only an hour from the Colorado border, Colorado is the perfect place for us to enjoy a weekend getaway. Cute towns, great hiking and a short drive – what more could you want? Manitou Springs first appeared on my radar when I saw a photo of the Manitou Incline in a travel group that I am in (Girls Love Travel). I thought to myself: “Oh man! I want to hike that”.
It was the perfect destination for a weekend. We spent two nights in the town and had a blast. We arrived Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel and ordered some take out from a local restaurant. Our reservations to hike the incline were for Saturday morning, so we woke up early and made the quick drive to the shuttle stop (it was right across the street from us).
The incline was harder than I anticipated. Let’s just say I should have visited the gym more often before our trip! By the time we made it down from the mountain, it was lunch time – so we headed downtown for some food. We had a nice lunch sitting outside next to the creek that flows through town. Afterwards, we pooped over to the arcade for skeeball and a milkshake.
That evening we had a reservation for a wooden hot tub at Sunwater Spa. It was ideal after a long day. Sunwater Spa has wooden hot tubs that sit outside on their beautiful deck – taking in views of the mountains and the sunset. It was a super relaxing and romantic way to spend the evening.
Highlights of my Trip to Manitou Springs
Manitou Springs is a cute small town located outside of Colorado Springs. It has a wonderful downtown area with tons of places to eat, coffee shops and boutiques. The incline, although hard, was definitely one of a kind. And the four mile hike down on the other side was gorgeous. If you are into hiking, the Manitou Incline is certainly a bucket list worthy experience.
Although I was excited about the arcade and skeeball, my favorite part of this trip was the Manitou Incline. At the start, I wasn’t sure that I would make it all the way to the top. But completing this hike made me feel so proud and powerful in my own body. I highly recommend the incline.
Another epic moment from this trip was watching the sunset from the deck of Sunwater Spa. I soaked and relaxed in some lovely hot waters with my boyfriend and we had some great laughs together. It was so nice to get away from work and be able to enjoy the weekend together as a couple.
5 Best Things To Do in Manitou Springs
- Manitou Incline is a must-do if you are an outdoorsy kind of person.
- Renting a tub at the incredible Sunwater Spa was such a beautiful experience. I’m a sucker for a wooden hot tub with a great view.
- Exploring the downtown area is a lot of fun. There were so many cool stores and it’s just fun to walk around in a new town.
- Manitou Springs is named due to several fountains being placed all over the town, each fountain consisting of water with different minerals in them. We found about three, they were great fun to try and find.
- And of course, visiting the arcade is a must-do activity. It was so great to play some games, have a milkshake and just enjoy ourselves.
Accommodation Options in Town
When it comes to accommodation, I was not necessarily impressed. Many of the hotels here are in desperate need of a remodel. We stayed at the Eagle Motel which fitted into our budget and had the highest rating on Booking.com. It was also extremely close to the shuttle stop, Sunwater Spa and downtown area. However, we weren’t very impressed.
I guess you could say Eagle Motel did the job but it wasn’t the best experience. If you are looking for a nicer place to stay, I would recommend booking a hotel in Colorado Springs and making the 15 minute commute. Colorado Springs has much better accommodation options.
Need to Know Before you Go
We visited Manitou Springs in the fall and the colors from the top of the incline were amazing. There were so many pops of yellow and orange. It was still pretty hot when we visited, even though it was October. I was glad that we didn’t choose to hike in summer as it would have been way too hot! So if you can, I suggest visiting in the fall or even in winter for the spa.
Apart from visiting Manitou Springs in the fall, I highly recommend not having massive expectations about the accommodation you book and just enjoy the little things. One of my favorite aspects about this small Colorado town was the fact that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
