Christmas and New Years Office Closure
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices will be closed on December 24, December 25, December 26 and January 1.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
State Park in Colorado Springs, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
410 JL Ranch Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80926
United States
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
State Park in Colorado Springs, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
410 JL Ranch Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80926
United States
Navigate to:
Cheyenne Mountain State Park sign
Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Renew your spirit and connect with the outdoors while enjoying the sunny yet cool days at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. The park is nestled beneath the eastern flank of Cheyenne Mountain, just south of Colorado Springs.
2701
acres
100
species of birds
61
campsites
29
miles of trails
Accessing the Park
Directions
From I-25
I-25 exit #135, South Academy, head west on South Academy past Pikes Peak Community College. Continue west to Highway 115. Turn left (south) onto Highway 115. Turn right at the first stoplight, JL Ranch Heights Road (also the light for Fort Carson Gate 1). The park entrance is to the west. Go west and follow the road into the park. Look for state highway signs directing you to Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
The Cheyenne Mountain Visitor Center is located west of the main park entrance from JL Ranch Heights Road.
Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two charging stations are located in the Visitor Center parking lot. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Animal Access Limited
Leashed dogs and horses are only permitted on certain trails.
Dogs are only allowed on the Acorn Alley, Bobcat Way, Raccoon Ridge trails, and the marked portion of the Soaring Kestral Trail. There is no access to the dog trails from Limekiln Trailhead.
Horses are allowed on the Dixon, Talon North and Talon South trails, with the Sundance Trail being partially open to horses.
For more details see Trails and the Know Before You Go > Dogs sections on the Park Highlights page or call the park for more information at 719-576-2016.
Closures
There are no closures at this time.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10-$12 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
Wildlife abounds in Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Deer, black bear, mountain lion and bobcat, as well as coyote, fox and prairie dogs, are just some of the animals that make the park their home.
Bird, plant and wildlife guides are available on Cheyenne Mountain State Park's iNaturalist app observations for Android and iPhone. iNaturalist is a free online social network and citizen science platform that allows users to record and share observations of biodiversity. By uploading photos or sounds of wild organisms, you can get help identifying species from a global community of naturalists and even an automated identification tool. Using iNaturalist helps you learn about local nature, connect with other enthusiasts, and most importantly, contribute valuable scientific data to biodiversity research and conservation efforts worldwide.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the local and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- Wild turkey
- Red cross-bill
- Rock pigeon
- Common raven
Birding Tips
- Always view birds and other wildlife from a safe distance.
- Use binoculars or a spotting scope for a closer view.
- Protect young by avoiding nests or dens.
- Help protect birds by using your senses to find them, not recorded calls.
- To see more birds, keep voices and other sounds low.
- Protect plants and wildlife by staying on trails and respecting closures.
- Keep dogs leashed and under control at all times.
- For the best viewing experience, leave pets at home.
- Human food can hurt wildlife - please keep their diets wild.
- Take nothing but pictures - leave what you find for others to enjoy.
Mammals You Might Find
- Mule deer
- American black bear
- Striped skunk
- Rock squirrel
Learn How to Coexist
View a short video and tips on watching wildlife safely and find important information on crossing paths with wildlife.
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Prairie rattlesnake
- North American racer
- Western milksnake
- Great short-horned lizard
YOU Can Help!
The park is lacking vital data on amphibian and reptile populations. By logging your reptile and amphibian observations into iNaturalist, you'll help us collect data that's essential for protecting and preserving the Park's natural resources.
Geology at This Park
The park’s rocks tell a story about the past. We can see evidence of rocks that changed a long time ago, as well as changes in the height of the Rockies over time. We can also see old oceans, the folding and breaking of the Earth's surface, ice shaping the land, and both recent and ancient movements of land like landslides.
Cheyenne Mountain State Park shows the rocks that make up the foundation of our state. These granitic rocks, found at the tops of the Front Range, are almost two billion years old. We can see them today because of continuous erosion and lots of collisions between continents that happened in the Precambrian era.
Big forces like faulting, folding and mountain-building have pushed this rock up to the surface over time. Often the rock changes before we see it as plates collide into each other. When plates crash into each other, they make the rock in the bottom part of the mountains melt and then harden again, creating a kind of rock called metamorphic rock. New minerals grow in a specific way because of the pressure from the colliding plates. Both the igneous rock (mostly granitic rock) and the metamorphic rock became visible when erosion caused the mountains to rise up.
Upcoming Events
Dec
27
Creature Feature
Saturday, Dec 27
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Come learn about Colorado's wildlife and make a take-home craft. This event is located at the Visitor Center Conference room. ...
Dec
27
Creature Feature
Saturday, Dec 27
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Come learn about Colorado's wildlife and make a take-home craft. This event is located at the Visitor Center Conference room. ...
Dec
28
Meadow Nature Walk
Sunday, Dec 28
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
The meadow nature walk is a relatively short guided nature walk where you can learn about the ecology of meadows and open spaces...
Dec
28
Meadow Nature Walk
Sunday, Dec 28
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
The meadow nature walk is a relatively short guided nature walk where you can learn about the ecology of meadows and open spaces...
Jan
1
First Day Hikes
Thursday, Jan 1
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Celebrate the New Year and join the nationwide observance of America's 250th birthday by hiking at a Colorado state park! First...
Jan
1
First Day Hikes
Thursday, Jan 1
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Celebrate the New Year and join the nationwide observance of America's 250th birthday by hiking at a Colorado state park! First...
Dec
27
Creature Feature
Saturday, Dec 27
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Come learn about Colorado's wildlife and make a take-home craft. This event is located at the Visitor Center Conference room. ...
Dec
27
Creature Feature
Saturday, Dec 27
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Come learn about Colorado's wildlife and make a take-home craft. This event is located at the Visitor Center Conference room. ...
Dec
28
Meadow Nature Walk
Sunday, Dec 28
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
The meadow nature walk is a relatively short guided nature walk where you can learn about the ecology of meadows and open spaces...
Dec
28
Meadow Nature Walk
Sunday, Dec 28
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
The meadow nature walk is a relatively short guided nature walk where you can learn about the ecology of meadows and open spaces...
Jan
1
First Day Hikes
Thursday, Jan 1
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Celebrate the New Year and join the nationwide observance of America's 250th birthday by hiking at a Colorado state park! First...
Jan
1
First Day Hikes
Thursday, Jan 1
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Celebrate the New Year and join the nationwide observance of America's 250th birthday by hiking at a Colorado state park! First...
History
Archeological data provided by the Colorado State Historical Society indicates that Native Americans utilized the area primarily as a brief stopping point along their seasonal migration routes between winter and summer hunting lands.
- 1862: Cheyenne Mountain opens for homesteading after the Homestead Act.
- 1880–1890: John Lytle engages in cattle ranching on the lower portion of Cheyenne Mountain.
- 1890: Lida M. Touzalin and sister buy the property from John Lytle.
- 1936–1961: The Jones family acquires the property, expands it to 2,200 acres, and starts the JL Ranch.
- 1957: A T-33 military training jet crashes into Cheyenne Mountain, killing both pilots. Debris from the wreckage is still scattered throughout the crash site on Cheyenne Mountain.
- 1961: NORAD's Combat Operations Center construction in 1961 leads to JL Ranch's relocation to Montana due to water issues.
- 1966: The Combat Operations Center becomes operational for early nuclear-attack detection. The underground operations center covers 4.5 acres and houses 11 buildings, providing a combined 200,000 square feet of floor space. It has its own power plant and four reservoirs, with a total capacity of 1.5 million gallons of water, but relies on Colorado Springs for its water supply.
- 1981–2000: Denman Investments of Vancouver, B.C. owns and leases the JL Ranch to smaller ranching operations.
- June 2000: Almost exactly 63 years from the day that Lloyd and Dorothy Jones purchased the first parcel of the property, 1,680 acres of the former JL Ranch (all south of NORAD Road) are purchased for the creation of Cheyenne Mountain State Park through a partnership between the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), Colorado Lottery, El Paso County and other local private organizations. The northern 520 acres are retained by Denman Investment Corp. Previously, the entire ranch had been slated for extensive residential and commercial development.
The park is nestled against the eastern flank of Cheyenne Mountain just south of Colorado Springs. It represents the protection of one of the last important open spaces along the southern section of the Colorado Front Range and offers a stunning transition from Colorado’s plains to its peaks. Wildlife viewing opportunities abound because the property has been relatively undisturbed.