The Broadmoor Seven Falls

Located in a beautiful box canyon, the Broadmoor Seven Falls in Colorado Springs is a series of seven cascading waterfalls, with a total height of 180 feet. Often referred to as “The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado”, Seven Falls in Colorado Springs is the only waterfall in Colorado to make National Geographic's list of international waterfalls. Visitors can view the scenic wonder of Seven Falls from either the top of the 224 step staircase or from the Eagle’s Nest viewing platform, which can be accessed via elevator. In the evenings, the falls are beautifully illuminated by colorful lighting.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY BEHIND THE BROADMOOR SEVEN FALLS?

The history of Seven Falls in Colorado dates back to 1872, when a man named Nathaniel Colby inhabited the 160 acres that included the present-day Seven Falls and South Cheyenne Canyon. He sold the land to the Colorado Springs Land Company for $1,000. In 1882 James Hull purchased the property for $1,300. Mr. Hull was an environmentalist who was disturbed to find the scenic splendor of the canyon being threatened by people chopping down the surrounding forest for its lumber.

Hull was also a businessman and he understood the value of the property as a scenic destination and began to improve it by constructing a road through the canyon to the Seven Falls in Colorado Springs and building a stairway along the side of the Falls. He installed a toll gate at the foot of the canyon and proceeded to do business. Back then, a local entrepreneur paid Hull $500 for the privilege of taking passengers by carriages, burros and horses to the Falls for 25 cents each. Business flourished and Seven Falls in Colorado Springs became a prominent attraction.

On Monday morning, May 20 we drove to the Norris Penrose Event Center, where a complimentary shuttle service transports guests to the Seven Falls park entrance. Parking and shuttle transportation are complimentary. The shuttle parking lot is located about 4 miles from the park entrance. The fee to visit Seven Falls was $17 per person for "seniors". After paying our entrance fee we hiked up the paved road along the river past the "Pillars of Hercules" up to the base of the falls. Stairs are available for the heartiest of visitors, but we used the elevator to save our legs for the remainer of the hike. We peeked into the restaurant and decided to save the money for a lunch in Colorado City.

Karen's hip replacement handled the hike, no sweat! It is literally hard to believe that earlier in February she had the hip surgery in Jacksonville, Florida. In total we both hiked 3.11 miles during the visit to the falls and would recommend it to anyone who is visiting Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Later that evening we had dinner with a friend from California who moved to the area a few years earlier. We've kept in contact with Kim Robinson and were excited to catch-up on her life in Colorado. We had a great visit and meal out at a local Mexican restaurant. We wished we could have met her fiance Dave but he had a previous commitment he couldn't break. They are getting married in September this year in Minnesota and she can hardly wait. Congratulations to Dave and Kim! We hope there's some RV camping in their future with us next year.