Seven Falls

In the afternoon of August 22 we visited Seven Falls. It was very interesting. First we hiked up the 224-steps next to the falls. This is the first of two long staircases:

At the top we hiked both trails on this map:

First we hiked to Inspiration Point, where Helen Hunt Jackson wrote the book Ramona. You can see Colorado Springs through the trees:

Here is a telephoto view of Colorado Springs taken just a few feet away from where the previous photo was taken:

After Inspiration Point, we hiked to Midnight Falls:

The web site gives this explanation for how Midnight Falls got its name: "A hundred years ago this was a favorite and secluded spot for Colorado college students to visit late at night."

At Midnight Falls Laura spotted an American Dipper (but we didn't know what it was until later). We didn't see it swim underwater, but we certainly saw its unusual dipping behavior. I regret that I didn't take any photos of it.

The best view of the falls is from the Eagle's Nest viewing platform a little downstream from the falls. (You can either climb another 180 or so stairs, or take an elevator. We took the elevator up and the stairs down.) To the left of the falls you can see the 224-steps which we had earlier climbed up and down:

Here is a sign explaining the seven different waterfalls:

The falls are also open at night, and are lit up by computerized, colored lights (see the inset in the sign above). We were told it was beautiful, but our schedule did not permit visiting at night.