Winter weekends are fun and easy with more than 22 fully furnished ski lodges in the vicinity of Colorado Springs. In most areas, ski season is from November through March. Ski trips can be affordable by taking advantage of the equipment and discount tickets offered by the two ski shops located in the outdoor recreation centers.

The U.S. Olympic Complex is located at 1750 E. Boulder, downtown Colorado Springs, and is the national headquarters for the U.S. Olympic Committee, Olympic Training Center and fifteen national sports governing bodies. There are free daily tours available for the public that feature a walk down the Irwin Belk Olympic Path into the Olympic Hall of Fame, as well as a rooftop terrace with an Olympic Torch display, with a panoramic view of Colorado Springs.

Tours are conducted Monday through Saturday, year-round. For more information call (719) 866-4792 or visit us at www.usolympicteam.com.

Rising to 14,110 feet, Pikes Peak provides some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. It was after visiting the summit that Katherine Lee Bates wrote the words to "America the Beautiful." There are several ways visitors can get to the top.

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway has the distinction of being the highest railroad in the Unites States. From April through October, visitors can take the scenic three-hour round-trip ride to the summit, where they can relax in the gift shop/snack bar and enjoy the views of Denver, Kansas and New Mexico. Reservations are recommended. Call (719) 685-5401 for reservations and information.

The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile paved and gravel journey to the top that begins in Cascade, only 15 minutes from downtown Colorado Springs, on Highway 24. A round-trip excursion can easily take two to three hours. The highway is open year-round, but hours vary throughout the seasons. For more information, call (719) 385-PEAK (7325) or (800) 318-9505.

For the adventurous, the 13-mile (one-way) Barr Trail offers the opportunity to hike to the summit.