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“Colorado Photography

Cave of the Winds”

Along the way

Getting There:

Cave of the Winds is in the Colorado Springs area and west just a couple of miles outside of Manitou Springs. My guess is about 12 miles from Colorado Springs. This is a nice chance for some good Colorado photography. Plan ahead because you may want to stop at Manitou Springs and walk around or grab some food. To get to Manitou Springs It is best to take Cimarron Street/Midland Expy (Highway 24) off of I-25 as you are going through Colorado Springs. Heading west on Cimarron for about 8 miles, you turn right (north) on to Manitou Avenue. The exit is a loop and when you get off the loop you traverse back under Cimarron/24. Travel about another 4 miles west on Highway 24 to get to “Cave of the Winds.” When you reach Cave of the Winds Road you turn-off to the north, and zigzag a couple of extremely nice scenic miles and you will see the Visitors Center right in front of you. Have your camera ready so that you can stop and click a few quick photos. No big visitor pull-outs, just a little extra dirt along the side of the road along the canyon.

Once you are there:

Parking is easy and free, everything is visible right from the car. Once you have your tickets you can hangout at the visitor center till your tour time. If you are adventuresome, you can go play on the “Wind Walker” Challenger Course that you passed by on the way in. You know! The crazy post’s with ropes going everywhere with crazy people walking on them. This one is for the kid’s and young, healthy crazy people who like to test their limits, or should I say test their skills. Now, if that isn’t enough; you can always opt out of the Wind Walker and go for the “Bat-A-Pult.” Say what! I never new about this till on the trip out of the canyon. We pulled over to take some pictures, and I noticed something traveling across my viewfinder. FYI – I love viewfinders. Digital display screens just do not do the job. Sorry about the personal touch. As you get older it really makes a difference. Not to say that I am old. You know what I’m talking about? Back to the subject at hand. It was a person on the Bat-A-Pult ride. It is a form of zip line that takes you out over the canyon and back to the visitor center. Wow, wow, wow, and I missed it. Maybe I can do it on the next visit. A dangling 1,200 foot ride with the wind in your face. Don’t you just love it?

The blue dot is someone on the “Wind Walker”

Waiting for your tour (the normal way):

If you did not stop by the Claim Jumper curio kiosk on the way into the Visitor Center, you still have a couple more shopping opportunities inside the Visitor Center. Inside the Visitor Center there are plenty of tables, chairs, sofas, fans and a cafeteria. There are two levels to this and both have balconies overlooking the Williams Canyon. The building is actually built on the canyon wall. It is quite nice and relaxing. You could actually spend the whole day here by taking a hike down into the Williams Canyon.

Time for the tour:

They will call you over the P.A. system when they are ready for the tour. That means you also have to be ready. They are quick on a busy day. The only recommendation is that if you are cold-blooded, please take a light jacket or windbreaker to take the chill off while you are inside the cave. The tour is not strenuous, but you do have to bend a little. And watch you head! They will take a picture of you or your group. You can purchase copies of it if you like. I just took my own pictures. The guides are courteous, friendly and informative. The tour last about an hour. After the tour you can stick around to take in the scenery or play around a little bit more.