Rainbow Falls
More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
Rainbow Falls is a waterfall in Colorado, at a modelled elevation of 2,031 m. Pikes Peak stands 4,302 m to the west-southwest, 6.7 miles off. The nearest named place is Cave of the Winds, a attraction 0.4 miles away. Gold Belt Tour passes 16 miles off.
The story
Rainbow Falls (informally known as Graffiti Falls) is a waterfall located on Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The falls' plunge is located beneath a bridge that links Manitou Avenue to Highway 24. The trailhead to the falls is located on a 180-degree bend on Serpentine Drive, about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) off of Highway 24 across from the entrance to the Cave of the Winds. The falls were closed in 2013 for improvement from the El Paso County Parks Department, but have since reopened with a concrete walkway that snakes along the river.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q14685070, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 15.6 mi off the Gold Belt Tour, National
Overlooks nearby
- Geologic Overlook · 19 mi
- The Valley Overlook · 19 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Cave of the Winds: 0.4 mi
- Manitou Cliff Dwellings: 0.9 mi
- Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway No. 2: 1.1 mi
- Balanced Rock: 1.6 mi
- Balanced Rock: 1.6 mi
- Mabel Willie Park: 0.6 mi
- Soda Springs Park: 0.8 mi
- Mansions Park: 1.1 mi
- Seven Minute Spring Park: 1.1 mi
- Schryver Park: 1.7 mi
- Red Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Iron Mountain: 1.6 mi
- Rocky Mountain: 1.8 mi
- Eagle Mountain: 2.0 mi
- Mount Manitou: 2.1 mi
- Big Red Chair: 1.2 mi
- Cougar Statue: 3.7 mi
- Paul Best Victory Bell: 5.5 mi
- Trailblazer: 5.7 mi
- Langer Sundial: 5.7 mi
- George Eber Duclo: 1.2 mi
- Glen Eyrie: 2.6 mi
- Pioneer Park Memorial: 3.6 mi
- For the Unborn: 4.2 mi
- Trees of the National Society Daughters of the American Colonist: 5.7 mi
- The Secret Garden: 4.3 mi
- westside community garden: 4.6 mi
- Heritage Garden: 5.4 mi
- Horticultural Art Society Demonstration Garden: 5.4 mi
- The Pinetum: 5.4 mi
- Miramont Castle: 0.8 mi
- Heritage Center: 1.2 mi
- Race Car Museum Outlet: 1.9 mi
- Space Foundation Discovery Center: 3.8 mi
- Old Colorado City History Center Museum: 3.9 mi
- Dakota Hogback: 3.2 mi
- Point Sublime: 5.9 mi
- Windy Point: 6.4 mi
- Devils Slide: 9.3 mi
- Corral Bluffs: 17.7 mi
- South Spring Cañon Picnic Area: 1.9 mi
- Crowe Gulch Picnic Ground: 4.1 mi
- South Canyon: 8.2 mi
- Lazy Land: 8.3 mi
- Sentinel Point: 8.4 mi
- Ute Chief Spring: 0.5 mi
- Wheeler Spring: 0.8 mi
- Twin Spring: 0.8 mi
- Stratton Spring: 0.8 mi
- Cheyenne Spring: 0.9 mi
- Mesa Wildlife Preserve: 3.9 mi
- Mesa Open Space: 4.9 mi
- Promntory Point Open Space: 4.9 mi
- Concrete Coyote: 6.8 mi
- Cheyenne Mountain State Park: 10.7 mi
- Helen Hunt Falls: 5.8 mi
- Weimer: 6.6 mi
- Hill: 6.6 mi
- Hull: 6.6 mi
- Shorty: 6.6 mi
- Husted: 9.9 mi
- Altman: 14.5 mi
- Gwillimsville: 17.9 mi
- Franceville: 18.3 mi
- Lytle: 18.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.7 miles of Rainbow Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikes Peak | WSW 252° | 4,302 m | 6.7 mi |
| Little Pikes Peak | W 259° | 4,073 m | 7.3 mi |
| Devil's Playground | W 267° | 3,984 m | 7.8 mi |
| Sachett Mountain | WSW 237° | 3,837 m | 6.3 mi |
| Sentinel Point | WSW 258° | 3,814 m | 9.8 mi |
| Sheep Mountain | SW 232° | 3,780 m | 8.7 mi |
| Almagre Mountain | SW 214° | 3,768 m | 6.6 mi |
| Mount Rosa | S 188° | 3,507 m | 8.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:04 | 18:37 | 19:12 |
| June solstice | 05:35 | 19:49 | 20:29 |
| September equinox | 06:48 | 18:23 | 18:58 |
| December solstice | 07:15 | 16:00 | 16:42 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 26 | 27 | 33 | 38 | 46 | 56 | 60 | 58 | 53 | 43 | 33 | 26 |
| Precip in | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Ruxton Park, 3 mi away.
Months at or above the year’s average flow: May–Aug — fullest in May, leanest in Feb.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean cfs | 9.2 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 15.6 | 32.8 | 29.1 | 20.9 | 20.9 | 15.8 | 13.2 | 11.6 | 9.9 |
USGS monthly mean discharge at gauge Fountain Creek Near Colorado Springs, Co., 3 mi away — the nearest gauge, which can sit on a different stream.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/739146653
Day trips start here
- Colorado Springs · 6 mi
Take the scenic way to Rainbow Falls.
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