Author: Seth Boster seth.boster@gazette.com
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Meet El Paso County’s new parks director, tasked with top destinations and bold initiatives
Since starting this summer as executive director of the El Paso County Parks Department, Janna Tidwell has kept a pair of hiking boots in her car. “When I’ve had some down time in between meetings, I’ve just gotten out and gone and looked around,” she said. All around to beloved places the county oversees: from…
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Celebrate 50 years of nature center at upcoming ‘bear-thday’ party in Colorado Springs
A big “bear-thday” party is coming up in Colorado Springs. That’s how Bear Creek Nature Center is billing an event Saturday ー a celebration for 50 years of environmental education and stewardship in the city’s southwest foothills. The nature center, said to be the first of its kind in Colorado, was born in 1976. It…
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Vail Resorts announces opening dates with high hopes for ‘Super El Niño’
The biggest name in Colorado skiing is turning the page on the historically dry winter that was and looking ahead to a much-anticipated forecast. Said Bill Rock, president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division, in a news release Tuesday: “While no one can predict exactly what Mother Nature will deliver, the possibility of blockbuster snowfall has…
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Hoping to binge this week? 5 streaming options await
Season three of Taylor Sheridan’s espionage and military action series, “Lioness,” returns on Paramount+. Zoe Saldaña stars as a CIA operative who takes on a huge conspiracy posing a dire threat to national security and her friends and family. A lot of big names are returning, including Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. — Jennifer Mulson…
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Happy Trails in Summit County: Put this hike on your list for fall colors, leading to scenic lake
Meadow Creek Trail to Lily Pad Lake On our last visit to Summit County, our first stop was the Meadow Creek Trail. The path climbs through towering aspen, and we only wished it was autumn, so we could be surrounded by the golden glow. Next time, we told ourselves ー perhaps mid-September, when fall colors…
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Green Mountain Falls is a hiking paradise
For many years at a cozy restaurant nestled in the hills west of Colorado Springs, tired and dirt-stained friends have gathered around a table to recharge and revel in the day’s work on the trail. Until his death in 2021 at the age of 84, Dick Bratton was at the center of these gatherings. This…
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This scenic town west of Colorado Springs is a prime hiking destination
For many years at a cozy restaurant nestled in the hills west of Colorado Springs, tired and dirt-stained friends have gathered around a table to recharge and revel in the day’s work on the trail. Until his death in 2021 at the age of 84, Dick Bratton was at the center of these gatherings. This…
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These 4 coffee shops are homes away from home in Colorado Springs
In this weekly feature, we’re celebrating the best of Colorado Springs’ food and drink scene ー as determined by voters in the 2026 Best of the Springs (thebestofthesprings.com). We’ll throw in our own recommendation, too. Up this week: Coffee shops. Gold: Wayfinder Coffee Co. Wayfinder sources coffee from around the globe as part of its…
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More trails are about to open at Fishers Peak, adding to backcountry destination in Southern Colorado
Trails are growing around one of southern Colorado’s most iconic mountains. A celebration is set for 9 a.m. Saturday at Fishers Peak State Park, where hikers and mountain bikers can embark to 9 miles of new trail off the chimney-like promontory looming over Trinidad. The additional loops bring the young park’s trail system to more…
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‘The potential of this is insane:’ 674-acre Pinestone Ranch seen as new ‘portal’ to Pikes Peak
Tuesday morning in Woodland Park, before embarking on a bike ride, Jerry Smith stopped to imagine the future of the hills rolling on the southern edge of town, beyond the Walmart. “I can picture a lot of trails up there,” he said. “There’s gotta be a lot of wildlife and some really great views.” All…