Some questions about a visit to COSprings w/ a big dog (Colorado Springs: renter, mattress)

[Rowly104]

Hello,

I'm visiting Colorado Springs with my 70-something mom, my sister, and our 105-lb dog for three days in the first week of June. Can anyone tell me what part of the city is the best area for us to stay? We plan on doing some hiking, but we also enjoy walkable neighborhoods with shops, cafés, etc. Wherever we stay has to be safe, clean, not too noisy, and, of course, dog-friendly.

So far, my thoughts have been to stay at the SCP hotel because of the interesting concept and because they'll take dogs of any size for no extra fee; or to stay at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort; or to rent an AirBnB in Old Colorado City. Weirdly, they all come out to about the same price, with the AirBnB costing the most for a 3-day stay because of all the extra fees and taxes.

Do any of these options sound especially good or bad? Can anyone give me detailed descriptions of what SCP and/or Cheyenne Mountain are like? Reviews seem mixed but positive overall. I can't get a feel of what the surrounding area is like for either one.

Other questions:

If we stay in a more out-of-the-way part of town, is it fairly easy to find parking in busier areas like Downtown and Old Colorado City? Are there any parts of town we should definitely avoid?

How are restaurants in Colorado Springs about having dogs on their patios? A friend recommended Margarita at Pine Creek for a splurge-y dinner and I see they have a patio. Would a place like that be OK with a leashed, well-behaved dog? (I'll call, of course, just wondered if anyone had experience taking a dog there.)

Last, what are some good places for gentle hiking with a dog and an older person, both with iffy knees? (Anything with a lake or waterfall would be ideal.) And are there any other activities we could do with him (for example, dog-friendly shops, galleries, gardens, parks, outdoor markets, etc.)?

I'd be very grateful for any advice that can make this a fun, interesting, no-stress trip.

Thanks very much.

[beezle1]

An AirBnB in Old Colorado City is definitely the most walkable (assuming it is fairly close to Colorado Ave) - lots of quaint shops and restaurants. I have never stayed at SCP or Cheyenne Mountain Resort. I believe Cheyenne Mountain Resort is in a kind of out of the way area, not much to walk to from there. SCP, probably does have things to walk to, but it is an older, busier part of town - lots of traffic in that area if I recall.

I have never had trouble finding parking downtown. There is street parking, both parallel and angled pull in spots, plus a few parking garages. I have never used the garage. Sometimes I may drive around a block or two to find a place. Bear in mind this is metered parking so watch the time limits and bring coins (I don't recall if the meters take credit cards yet). About the same in Old Colorado City and Manitou, except for there are no parking garages, though there are some lots.

I doubt Margarita at Pine Creek would allow dogs, but give them a call and ask. Some of the restaurants downtown that have little patios out front allow dogs - Il Vicino for example. There is a place called Pub Dog you may want to check out: https://pubdogcolorado.com/

If you go to Manitou Springs (quirky, lots of small shops, various springs around town where you can sample the water), check out a shop called Gigi's - unique pet related items. I think many stores in Manitou allow dogs inside.

You should spend some time driving through and walking around Garden of the Gods. Easy flat walking.

Have a great trip!

[TCHP]

Never heard of the SCP Hotel. Had to look it up. Hmm. Interesting concept and the website looks more global than local. Briefly browsing through it, I don't see any pictures that appear to be local unless they are inside the hotel. Looking up the address, it is an older motel on the south side of town. I'd have to assume they have done major renovations to a portion of it to align with the scope of what the website presents. In other words, there may be a disconnect here, but since I've never been in the new version of this, I could be wrong. This also is not a particularly walkable part of town and everything you want to do from here as a base of operation will involve driving, except maybe walking to McDonalds.

I wasn't aware Cheyenne Mtn Resort would take dogs. I've been there numerous time for various functions and have never seen pets. They do have nice views, a great on site restaurant and easy access to golf. Its somewhat in a neighborhood, so it has some walkability and you can head down to the nearby retail center for a few eateries and bars, none of which are pet friendly to my recollection.

An Air BnB in Old Colo City or even some of the older motels in Manitou may be more along the lines of what you are expecting for nearness to the mountains, access to walkable areas and shops, variety of food and proximity to hiking and walking trails, but they may be more challenging. Walking to shops is easy but you will be driving to parks for nature access that is easier on body parts.

There are some restaurants that cater to pet inclusion, but most do not, even on the patios. A few smaller, local places do allow them on patios. Those that do have more pet friendly policies will predominately be on the west side of town and into Manitou, but I think there may be a couple on the far north side as well. Margarita at Pine Creek is a great suggestion for a special dinner but I've never seen pets there. Again, verification might be in order.

On the street parking in OCC and downtown is not always easy to find, but there are numerous lots that can be utilized. You will just be walking a block or a few as a result. If you are here during the weekdays, it might make it a bit easier to get street parking.

Walking with easy access, easy grades and water is not going to happen all together. Water is a pretty scarce natural resource here. Easy walking with great views, on the other hand, are very easy to find. Obviously Garden of the Gods is a prime selection here. Red Rocks Open Space is another. Ute Valley Park might be good if you want to get out of the mainstream of the previous two options. All of these are west of Interstate 25.

There certainly is more, but Colo Spgs is very spread out and access to different activities will necessitate some driving. Have you check out the Visit Cos site yet? Please do so as it hits some great highlights of a visit to the area and may help you refine your itinerary; https://www.visitcos.com/

[Rowly104]

beezle1 & TCHP,

Thank you so much for your detailed and very helpful responses.

My sister and Mom are both pushing for the resort, mostly because none of the AirBnB's that allow dogs are OK with the dog sleeping on the bed (we have a spoiled dog). I called the resort this morning and they say a 100lb dog is fine with them, so it looks like that's what we'll do this time.

SCP also has an even more generous dog policy, but when I asked about safety, especially if I were to take the dog out to pee at night, they could only say it should be OK but I could wave down the guard in the parking lot if I had any problems. The staff is extremely helpful and nice on the phone, but I think you're right, TCHP. There may be a disconnect between what they're aiming for and what's actually there.

I'll definitely look at the Visit Cos site. And thank you for the tip about Manitou Springs and PubDog, beezle1. We will check them out.

Thank you both again!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Rowly, thank you for asking the AirBnBs about allowing your large dog to sleep on the bed. I used to use my house as a vacation rental and, personally, I'd be very upset if I found that a renter had allowed their 100 pound dog to sleep on the bed. Glad to see that you are a responsible owner and doing your due diligence regarding lodging and restaurants.

I'm assuming that you know this about Garden of the Gods:

"The Basics

Dogs are allowed on any of the trails in the park as long as they’re on a 6-foot leash. There is an abundance of wildlife such as deer and bighorn sheep, not to mention horseback riding tours, so it’s very important to keep your dog under control at all times. As with any park, owners are required to clean up after their dog.
Garden of the Gods Off Leash Area

If your dog is like mine and always has more energy to burn after a hike, there is also a great off-leash area in the southeast corner of Garden of the Gods. Dogs are allowed off-leash in the open field immediately south of the main park entrance, in between 30th St. and the road to Rock Ledge Ranch. The area is not fenced in, however, so if your dog has a tendency to run away, this might not be the best place to take him."

[CraigCreek]

Rather than having your dog sleep on a motel or hotel bed wherever you wind up staying, do consider getting a blow-up mattress for him. Later guests and the hotel/motel owner/manager would appreciate it.

[dr.frog]

Re an easy hike with water. Go up N Cheyenne Canyon to Helen Hunt Jackson falls. You can stop to admire them, but for hiking continue up the road a few switchbacks, until you get to the large dirt parking lot on the left. Park there and walk up Gold Camp road, a former railroad grade that is now just a walking/biking trail. When you reach the stream crossing you can either go upstream on the Seven Bridges trail, or continue on the road on the opposite side of the canyon from where you parked. When you return to the trailhead you can turn left out of the parking lot instead of going back the way you came; that will take you back down the lower section of Gold Camp road, and you get to drive through a couple tunnels. (I think the alternate route on High Drive is still closed to cars? It washed out in a flood a few years ago.)

Like other popular hiking spots around town, the parking lot can be full on summer weekends, so it's best to do this on a weekday.

[Rowly104]

Thanks for the hiking tips, Dreaming of Hawaii and dr.frog. They're very helpful.

And thanks for the advice, CraigCreek. Because we have close friends and relatives who have dog allergies, we've trained our dog to only get on a bed or sofa when we've spread a giant double-layer canvas sheet on it. Nothing penetrates that canvas cover (we've even spilled a full glass of water on it, and nothing gets through). So he doesn't even touch the top quilt of a bed he's on, let alone the bedding underneath or the mattress. I expect he leaves less of a trace on a bed than your average human. Hotel-keepers always laugh when we ask about their dogs-on-beds policy and tell them about our canvas sheet protocol. They say when you've seen what they've seen left on beds, you know a dog is nothing to worry about, canvas sheet or no canvas sheet.

[dr.frog]

When I traveled cross-country with my cats, I also brought a bedspread from home to cover the bed when we stayed at motels, to provide a familiar scent that let them know it was "home" as well as to protect the hotel bedding from their hair.

I'm not a dog person myself, but Bear Creek Dog Park (off S 21st street) seems to get rave reviews from dog owners. One of my neighbors takes his dog there every morning. There's a closer open space in our neighborhood where they could walk on-leash, but at the dog park he gets to run around and play with his "buddy" who also is there with his human every day at that time. Also there are fenced off-leash dog areas at Red Rock Canyon.