Going hiking with your sweetie is a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day! You’ll love getting outside to enjoy Colorado’s natural beauty with someone you love on a crisp, blue-sky, February day.
If you’re looking for the perfect romantic trail for this adventure, you might consider the Palmer Trail Section 16 Loop just outside Colorado Springs. This trail is six miles in length and is rated moderate. It’s a loop trail, so it will bring you back to where you started without needing to backtrack, and it should take you about three hours to complete.
This trail is perfect for a fun morning or afternoon date because it has a little bit of everything. You can park at the trailhead and set off on your journey from there. Be sure to dress in layers to stay warm; at the peak of this hike, you’ll be at almost 8,000 feet of elevation, and it can get quite cold up there in February, even on a sunny day.
You’ll also want to wear hiking boots as parts of this trail will be snowy and other parts will be muddy, but it’s certainly worth the trudge through these conditions to see the incredible views at the top. You might even want to bring hiking spikes and trekking poles to help you along your way, and if there’s been recent snow in the area, snowshoes might be a good choice as well.
This hike starts out with a great deal of elevation gain over the first half, but it’ll be all downhill on your way back to your car. At certain points, you’ll be able to enjoy views of the Garden of the Gods and the Rampart Range…