Silver Cascade Falls

The Silver Cascade Falls Trail (rising approximately 360 feet in 0.35 miles) is located within North Cheyenne Cañon, a park managed by the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department (CSPRCS). The trail traverses steep canyon walls, crossing over Helen Hunt Falls and rising along Silver Cascade Falls to two rock-walled overlooks. Featured in regional promotional media and publications, the trail receives over 150,000 visitors a year with 100,000 visits alone occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In the winter, Silver Cascade Falls is a popular ice climbing spot for climbers in the Pikes Peak Region. In addition, there are numerous technical rock climbing routes accessed from the top of the Silver Cascade Falls Trail. A large portion of the upper trail is stabilized with timber steps, timber drainage structures, and timber retaining walls where soils, comprised primarily of decomposed granite, are very subject to erosion. A few key portions of the upper trail traverse granite bedrock and outcroppings, at times posing a challenge to hikers, particularly when the route is snow and ice-covered or wet.

In 2016, RMFI worked with project partners to repair existing trail structures and add new trail structures that helped improve overall hiker safety as well as enhance trail stability.