Colorado Springs castle offers wildlife, history, views
I thought it was my reward for getting up early to catch sunrise during one of our vacation days in Colorado Springs: I rounded a bend on the way back from my morning walk and caught three wild bighorn sheep grazing on a hill. I stopped in my tracks and took several photos from a distance.
They started to move so I followed. That’s when I saw the real prize: a herd of nearly 30 rams, ewes and lambs that had come down from the rocky cliffs to graze the valley at Glen Eyrie Castle & Conference Center.
To be honest, I was happy with what I’d already seen that June morning: a brilliant light show playing off the rock formations just a short walk from our room. Having the herd to myself was a real treat, though it wasn’t long before staff started preparing for breakfast and more guests awakened.
There are 95 rooms at Glen Eyrie, including 17 eclectic rooms in the historic castle and the remainder being motel-style rooms in several lodges throughout the 723 acres that also include a carriage house with a bookstore and coffee shop, gardens and miles of hiking trails.
I went back to our room – a queen bed in the former servants’ wing that lacked the portable air conditioning units available in some of the premier rooms, and then my husband and I walked to the castle dining room. We opted to have our included breakfast on the outdoor terrace overlooking the same meadow where I’d seen the bighorn sheep.
A guest we met at breakfast was wrapping up a week’s stay at Glen Eyrie and he hadn’t left the property. He’d traveled to Colorado Springs without a car and spent his time hiking and still had a couple of new trails to hike that day.
We, too, had found ourselves without a car for at least a day while we waited for repairs. With so much to do in Colorado Springs, we might not have taken the time to explore the beautiful grounds if not for this inconvenience. We spent the day hiking two of the 16 trails at Glen Eyrie, taking a guided historical tour of the castle and sitting in the Castle Music Room for daily tea service.
Glen Eyrie is in northwest Colorado Springs and in a valley just north of one of the city’s most popular attractions, Garden of Gods. We hiked a three-mile loop from the castle to the Garden of the Gods Overlook to get a sweeping view of the gardens and surrounding mountains.
Later, we walked a 1.5-mile paved path to Garden of the Gods – a free city park – where we stood among 300-foot-tall sandstone rock formations. We explored the geology, ecology and cultural exhibits inside the museum – also free, although there are activities that require a fee – before walking back to Glen Eyrie.
We hailed a car service to take us to nearby Manitou Springs for dinner, but easily could have arranged for sandwiches from the small café inside the Carriage House at Glen Eyrie.
William Palmer, considered the founder of Colorado Springs, homesteaded this land in 1871. A Civil War general and owner of the Denver Rio Grande Railroad, Palmer transformed his family’s 22-room house into an English Tudor-style castle in 1904.
Palmer died in 1909, and the castle went through decades of development attempts, vacancy, disrepair and survived floods and fires. An international ministry purchased it for its headquarters in 1953, finally bringing stability to the property.
The Navigators interdenominational Christian ministry operates Glen Eyrie, hosting conferences and spiritual retreats as well as individuals. While we were there, a college-age group was having a conference and most of the castle guests appeared to be families and individuals on vacation like us.
The castle is open year-round. Summer/fall rates run through Oct. 31 and start at $199 for a room in the castle, $159 for a lodge room. The rates are lower for the winter months, with rooms in November starting at $119 in the castle and $99 in the lodges. Tea and castle tours are available without overnight stays.
Glen Eyrie Castle & Conference Center
Where: 3820 N. 30th St., Colorado Springs, Colo.
How much: Overnight in castle rooms from $119, lodge rooms from $99
More info: gleneyrie.org or 800-944-4536