About Seven Falls
Seven Falls was perhaps the signature waterfall attraction of the Colorado Springs area.
Like its name suggested, it was where South Cheyenne Creek fell a total of 181ft over a series of seven drops in succession at the head of the granite box canyon.
Each of the drops had names (from top to bottom) of Ramona Falls, Feather Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Shorty Falls, Hull Falls, Weimer Falls, and Hill Falls.
Indeed, when it came to this waterfall there seemed to be no shortage of superlatives used to describe this natural attraction.
Ownership of Seven Falls
Seven Falls had been owned by various families and entities over its history since it was opened to tourists in 1885.
The first documented private ownership of the falls was by naturalist and owner James Hull who bought the area in 1882 for fear of losing it to logging.
I’m sure the saying “The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado” used to describe this falls and South Cheyenne Canyon was one of the marketing and promotion efforts.
Speaking of private ownership, this also meant that I had to pay $10 to make my visit in March (it was $14 in peak season as of 2017) so it wasn’t cheap.
In any case, with each different owner, different aspects of the amenities, transport, and trails were constructed to make the Seven Falls even more accessible.
The trail to Inspiration Point as well as the stairs to the top of the falls was said to have been built by the first owner James Hull.
Al Hill, the third owner, and his family had built the viewing platform and a funicular to the Eagle’s Nest lookout.
By the way, that lookout was where the photo you see at the top of this page was taken.
It wouldn’t be until 2002 when the falls would be floodlit.
Finally, during my visit, the falls was owned and operator by The Broadmoor (a fancy hotel in the heart of the well-off area of Coloado Springs).
They bought the Seven Falls on the cheap after the area had been severely damaged by flooding in late 2013.
During their ownership, they cleaned up the canyon floor, relieved vehicle congestion by making the area shuttle or foot-traffic only, and built the 1858 Restaurant near the base of the Seven Falls.
Complimentary shuttle and parking was now closer to the Broadmoor Hotel, which was about 1.8 miles from the gate at the foot of South Cheyenne Canyon.
Experiencing Seven Falls
As for the overall experience, I’ll describe the way I did it, which took in all the main points of interest in and around the Seven Falls area.
To summarize what I did, I was dropped off by Julie at the gate, then I basically hiked from the gate to the base of Seven Falls.
Then, I climbed the stairs and hiked further to Midnight Falls before hiking to the Helen Hunt Jackson Inspiration Point.
Next, I backtracked to the base of Seven Falls before ascending up to Eagle’s Nest Lookout.
After Eagle’s Nest Lookout, I then took the shuttle back to the gate.
Finally, I then switched to a different shuttle that took me all the way back to the Seven Falls Parking Lot near the Golden Bees Restaurant at the Broadmoor complex.
The entire excursion took me under 2.5 hours, but it could easily take shorter or longer.
That depends on whether you want to bring the family along or you want to partake in the additional trails above the waterfalls.
Just to give you an idea of the time commitment and physical fitness involved, I did this excursion solo while my wife Julie and daughter Tahia spent their time at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Seven Falls Trail Description – the “Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado”
From the gate and ticket office at the foot of South Cheyenne Canyon, I walked about a mile along a paved road nestled between impressive cliff formations.
Each of these formations have names like “Pillars of Hercules”, “Washingtons Profile”, “The Three Amigos”, and “The Three Bears”, etc.
At the turnaround point of the paved road was a gift shop, stairs and elevator leading up to Eagle’s Nest, and the Restaurant 1858.
Just on the other side of the restaurant was the viewing area at the base of Seven Falls as well as the start of the stairs climbing alongside the falls itself.
Given all the scenery that was packed within this one-mile stretch, I suspected that this was probably how “The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado” came to be associated with the Seven Falls.
Seven Falls Trail Description – ascending alongside the seven waterfalls
Next, I walked up the stairs alongside the Seven Falls, where the stairs were wide enough to let people squeeze past each other side-by-side though one person could easily hold onto both handrails.
Along the way were signs describing the name of a particular section of the Seven Falls as well as the type or shape of the waterfall in question.
There was a break area (to catch your breath, especially with the high altitude) at the half-way point of the 224 steps.
At this break area, I was right up against “Shorty Falls”.
I was also able to look up at the 2nd and 3rd drops of the Seven Falls.
Moreover, I got a butterflies-in-the-stomach-inducing view down towards the base of the Seven Falls.
Shortly after passing a sign encouraging me that I was more than half-way finished, I then reached a flattened part of the walk.
The path then went right in front of Ramona Falls (the uppermost one), which also had an attractive corkscrew or hole carved out besides its plunge pool.
After going up the last set of steps past Ramona Falls, the man-made structures became more sparse as the path now followed a more conventional dirt trail.
Seven Falls Trail Description – from the top of Seven Falls to Midnight Falls
After passing by a shelter with some interpretive signs concerning the wildlife in the area, I then crossed a bridge over South Cheyenne Creek.
Beyond the bridge, I then reached a signposted junction.
The path on the right went to Midnight Falls, which was said to be 20 minutes round trip.
The path on the left went to Inspiration Point, which was said to be 40 minutes round trip.
I first went right, which followed a gradually uphill path alongside South Cheyenne Creek.
The trail itself was pretty quiet and featured some interesting rock formations as well as a little detour going around private property.
There were also some side trails to the left along the way though I didn’t follow them so I can’t say where they went.
As the sign had indicated, I managed to get to Midnight Falls, which was a pretty miniscule 15-20ft waterfall besides a small alcove.
Seven Falls Trail Description – hiking to Helen Hunt Jackson Inspiration Point
Back at the signposted junction, I then took the other trail to Inspiration Point.
Right off the bat, the trail ascended alongside the mountain’s slope before making a switchback and ascending towards a shelter with a sign saying something to the effect that I’m under surveillance.
Along the upper stretch of this switchback, I noticed to my left in the distance was some other seemingly large waterfall.
However, I wasn’t sure which waterfall it was, and from looking at the maps, I’ve speculated that it could it be St Mary’s Falls.
Beyond the shelter, the trail then ascended one more switchback before arriving at a lookout with a signpost saying “Covered Wagon”, which was apparently some rock formation across the canyon.
Continuing further along the trail, it then gradually descended past what appeared to be some zipline structures before ending further below at an unsigned lookout.
This was the Helen Hunt Jackson Inspiration Point, which was said to be at an elevation of 7,200ft.
At the Inspiration Point, I was able to look across the South Cheyenne Canyon’s rim both to the north and west.
Meanwhile, looking to the east, I was able to get a partial look through the canyon opening towards parts of Colorado Springs.
Back near the ziplines, there was a plaque on a rock saying that Helen Hunt Jackson got her inspiration for the backdrop of her work Ramona
This was why this place was called the Helen Hunt Jackson Inspiration Point.
Anyways, it didn’t look like the trail went any further to the east though I didn’t bother trying to explore further in that direction.
So this was my turnaround point.
Seven Falls Trail Description – the Eagle’s Nest Lookout and the return
As I was running out of daylight, especially with an incoming snow storm that was threatening, I quickly descended back down to the top of the Seven Falls, and then carefully descended the 224 steps.
Next, I walked past the restaurant and to the stairs by the gift shop leading up to Eagle’s Nest.
In hindsight, I should have taken the elevator right up to the lookout instead of tiring myself taking the 181 steps up.
Not only was the elevator free, but it was within a tunnel next to the base of the stairs so I could have taken the elevator up and the stairs back down.
Nonetheless, up at the Eagle’s Nest Viewing Platform, this was where I was able to get commanding views of the entirety of Seven Falls.
From up at this vantage point, I could appreciate the scale of the falls with the people and the 1858 Restaurant being dwarfed down below.
A sign up here also talked about each of the seven named drops comprising the Seven Falls, which I think pretty much repeated what the signs along the 224 steps alongside the Seven Falls had said.
After having my fill of the Eagle’s Nest, I then took the elevator back down and then took the $1 shuttle to the gate.
From there, I waited for a different shuttle to take me back to the complimentary shuttle parking to end the overall excursion.
Authorities
Seven Falls resides on private property in Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. It is currently administered by The Broadmoor. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.
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Broadmoor Seven Falls (Colorado) October 11, 2021 5:25 am - There is a fee to enter to see the falls, but totally worth it. You can even climb stairs or take an elevator to get a full view of the Seven Falls. ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
