Seven Falls

West of Colorado Springs in Cheyenne Cañon, Seven Falls tumbles on multiple tiers over 181 feet to the bottom of the canyon. At the end of South Cheyenne Cañon Road, billed by preserve owners as “the grandest mile of scenery” in a very competitive state, the falls are truly beautiful, if extremely well developed for public use.

Thanks to private ownership, the area has been developed with ease of use in mind. This isn’t the pristine wilderness of yore, but there are benefits. A 224-step stairway ascends alongside the waterfall top to bottom, including observation decks in strategic locations. Few parks or preserves give you the opportunity to sit in rocking chairs before one of the tallest cascades in Colorado, as they do on the lower pavilion. Fewer still will let you do this with a drink in hand. The area is within a brisk walk to a restaurant, gift shop, and a tunnel leading under the canyon wall to elevators, which in turn ascend to the Eagle’s Nest, an aerie with an overlook of the cascade and surrounding canyon. Visiting Seven Falls is a different sort of experience with perks of its own. 

Regardless of incredulity, South Cheyenne Canyon and the road leading to the falls is objectively beautiful. Granite walls rise in dramatic Colorado fashion astride South Cheyenne Creek, the slopes on either side rimmed with spruce, fir, and pine. Rising nearly 200 feet above the floor of the box canyon, Seven Falls tumbles over more than four tiers, some of which enclose small pools. The adjacent stairway provides easy access to each one—a boon to anyone hoping to get up close to the water. Though it isn’t the orthodox wilderness known and loved by outdoor enthusiasts, Seven Falls does possess a charm of its own.

Two trails are available from the top of Seven Falls. Inspiration Point leads to an overlook of Colorado Springs and the plains to the east, and it was a favorite of Helen Hunt Jackson, a poet and writer for whom Helen Hunt Falls was named. There is also a short trail to Midnight Falls.