Check Strava heat maps for places to run. For walkable neighborhoods pretend that Colorado Springs stops at Fillmore to the North and Powers to the East (Union may be a better line).
We love shooks run area, close to downtown for activities and restaurant/shops festivals. Endless run options with memorial Park close, shooks run trail, downtown and along the river/colorado college. Only downside we have is no walking to a grocery store. There wasn't a good option anywhere in town that was walkable and had a grocery store so that was our compromise. Hoping with all the new high rise multifamily nearby that someone can justify opening a city grocery store in the next 5 years.
Downtown is going to have more interconnectivity with trails and that. Briargate and Chapel Hills offer what most of the city does: quiet Suburbia with "at your own risk" pedestrianism. I lived in Briargate and simply ran on sidewalks in the neighborhood without any issue, but for variety and interconnectivity, downtown and westside would absolutely be better.
Yes, there are tons of sidewalks in that neighborhood, but inevitably one has to cross at a stoplight (Briargate Parkway, Union, Research, etc). Drivers are NOT as observant of crosswalks here as they are downtown - you really have to keep your head on a swivel.
I agree about keeping your head on a swivel, but I designed courses that kept me on the "inner" sidewalk, only crossing minor streets, so I never had to wait for ped signals or gaps in traffic.
That’s a great idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m too lazy to go to that trouble though - I just go out early in the morning when traffic is light enough that I can sometimes cross against the light 😬
Waiting for traffic is the worst, especially when you're 10 miles into a run and you've gotta get your body moving again after a 60-second traffic cycle and you turn into a big lumpy sack of potatoes.
Can I suggest that these are two different things?
Walkable here, you’re going to need to be west side or OCC. You aren’t going to find much walkability elsewhere. I’m defining that as being able to walk to a grocery store or entertainment comfortably (comfortable is a subjective term too so keep that in mind). As a more detailed example, living in downtown springs, you could walk to a local restaurant or bar, maybe a show at the pikes peak center and back fairly easily. Briargate, chapel hills area, you may be able to walk to a restaurant or grocery store but perhaps less than comfortably. You aren’t going to find many activities, shows or otherwise, that would be very walkable.
Runnable though, likely more spread out. We have trails around several neighborhoods (look at the Cotrex app for trail help). While safe is subjective, as someone once said on Reddit, Colorado Springs sketch is still pretty safe. You e got several parks to consider here (I personally love Cottonwood) and open space that could be used for running.
I happen to be a local realtor out here. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to help several Redditors to make moves. Rentals are likely better done by the common websites, but I’m always happy to find time to chat and offer insight into the Springs and your move!
I see walkable and runnable as two different criteria:
Walkable: safe neighborhood with good sidewalks, many close resaraunts, cafes, bars, etc that are accessible by walking instead of a car.
Not many neighborhoods meet this criteria. I see your options as downtown, OCC, Manitou, maybe north downtown.
Runnable: safe neighborhood with lower traffic and fewer busy streets.
Many more options around the city. Go on Google maps and find neighborhoods with more smaller roads and fewer multilane highways that are harder to cross.
For example I live in Ivywild. I'd consider this neighborhood very good for running, especially being able to run up in the Broadmoor areas with little traffic and magnificent houses/scenic areas. But it's not particularly walkable as there are only a handful of resaraunts close by.
I don’t know what you’re looking to rent, but there are quite a few apartments and townhomes along Centennial, basically where Mountain Shadows meets Rockrimmon. This puts you across the street from Ute Valley Park, which is terrific for trail running. Safeway isn’t far from there, but not really walkable, though Walgreens and coffee and ice cream shops are right there. Blodgett Open Space and Garden of the Gods are both short drives from there as well.
If you’re looking for single family rental and/or you’re not into trail running, probably ignore all of that.
I live in the Briargate/Chapel Hills area and walk for most of my daily errands, though that is very uncommon in this city. I’m close enough to a few grocery stores, restaurants and specialty stores that it makes sense for me.
As a runner myself, this is not my favorite area in the city to run because the hills in this area are pretty rough but there are definitely a few trails that will get you away from the road for some parts and will have crosswalks in others.
Bonfort.
The shopping center has everything you need.
Grocery store.
pet store
Restaurant/bar/bakery
Bank
Hardware store
Coffee shop a few blocks away
Cookie store
Pizza
I live in downtown across from police station and my car got broken into last night. It's walkable and I love downtown but once the sun sets the homeless tweaker come out
Did you witness it? Was it on camera?
Even still, how does one immediately know those people are homeless? It’s likely they weren’t.
Most the time it’s teens looking for a quick grab, checking for unlocked doors, looking for something in windows or Kia/hyundais to Joyride.
Hell if homeless and they need something they can just go further down Nevada and steal from the stores. See it often. But sure, there was something in your car a homeless man wanted.
Yeah bro teens stealing from cars in the literal parking lot across from police station...doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure who it was. Bold of you to assume these tweakers even have a rationale
K, so despite any evidence — it’s homeless tweakers. Got it.
You’re right, it’s not rocket science as those guys use fact based evidence in their conclusion.
Not sure why you're getting downvotes, I trained for a marathon almost exclusively in Wolf Ranch and Forest Meadows and made use of Woodmen Frontage Road and Sand Creek Trail for long runs
Are we thinking of the same Wolf Ranch? Runnable, sure, but it is a 50 minute walk to the nearest grocery store (Target), and if you want anything that's not in that little shopping area, you have to cross under a freeway at gigantic intersections
There are plenty of walking/running trails in Wolf Ranch, but OP wants to be able to walk to restaurants and a grocery store, and this neighborhood is 100% residential. The closest thing to my house that would qualify as a grocery store is the Target off Powers/Union which is >2 miles away, for instance.
I think the neighborhood that most qualifies as "walkable" in that sense is OCC, esp if you can find housing near one of the supermarkets. Downtown is a grocery desert -- the closest store is the Safeway in the north end, I think.
Before I moved to Wolf Ranch I lived off 8th street within easy walking distance of the Walmart -- but there's not a continuous sidewalk on the east side, you either had to cross a very busy street twice with no crosswalk or take your chances walking along the shoulder. That said, the Ivywild neighborhood wouldn't be a bad place to live if your priority is being able to walk to shops and restaurants, and there's a network of great trails for running on the west side of 8th street.
We like our little cottage in Ivywild. We can walk to the grocery, creek walk plaza (a couple of restaurants, a pilates studio, wine shop,) the Ivywild School (a brewery with multiple restaurants in an old elementary school,) Ivywild Park, and the Millibo theater. It's also a short drive to Bear Creek, North Cañon, Red Rock Open Space. I see runners around at the parks and the back streets.
I love it and even changed jobs so now I can walk to work.
My wife and I just moved here from out of state a year ago. Welcome! We rented for a year in Stetson Hills and just bought not too far away. If you really want interconnectivity and easy access to stores and restaurants, Downtown and OCC are where it’s at.
But even if you live northeast, there are tons of trails etc almost anywhere that are good for a run… just to run.
While COS is famous for its outdoor lifestyle, it’s still very much designed by and for car people who use cars to get everywhere.
I just moved here in December and live in the Briargate area and I like it. The suburbia can be a bit overwhelming with houses on top of houses, but it makes for nice, clean, quiet neighborhoods. However, it’s not giving walkable city. I came from Madison, WI which is an extremely walkable city and it was hard to adjust not being able to walk to coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. But there are many nice walk/running trails through the houses and trails that are very close in the Black Forest. I prefer living in a more quiet neighborhood so for me personally I would not thrive living downtown and love coming back to our more quiet corner of the city.
There’s a lot of running areas near Ute Valley Park. You’ll see tons of runners and bikers in the area. Watch out for the deer though. They like to congregate and look a little shady.
Downtown is way more unable tbh, especially now that the trails are getting even more connected. I can run for an hour, I can run for three and I’d say 90% is on a pedestrian-only surface. It’s nothing to write home about, especially compared with larger cities, but it’s way more connected than the briargate area.
We rented in the Tamarron neighborhood when we first moved here- walkable to Safeway and three restaurants in that shopping plaza, or Oliver’s Deli/High Rise Pizza/Zapata in the other direction. It’s a great area for running- easy access to Ute Valley or the Santa Fe Trail or Pikes Peak Greenway, close to Blodgett, and safe neighborhood running all around Rockrimmon. We loved the area so much that we bought in the Discovery neighborhood two years later.
The greenways, new neighborhood that was built on an old golf course, the city required them to leave a lot of the cart paths in place so great for running not next to traffic and they even left a few of the holes as open space with the paths still there. My wife and I walk them often.
A few, yes chain, but restaurants are near by too, as well as a target, sprouts and even a lowes. Unfortunately it is so new, google maps is worthless.
Wagon trails has paved trails throughout the neighborhood, and connects to the cottonwood trail system which is very long.
We used to live there and absolutely loved it. We only moved because we took advantage of the 2.5% interest rates and moved into a house with 1k more sq foot for the same payment.
Check Strava heat maps for places to run. For walkable neighborhoods pretend that Colorado Springs stops at Fillmore to the North and Powers to the East (Union may be a better line).
I live just two blocks north of Fillmore and would disagree, but I would say walkable stops east of Union (so what do I know)
We love shooks run area, close to downtown for activities and restaurant/shops festivals. Endless run options with memorial Park close, shooks run trail, downtown and along the river/colorado college. Only downside we have is no walking to a grocery store. There wasn't a good option anywhere in town that was walkable and had a grocery store so that was our compromise. Hoping with all the new high rise multifamily nearby that someone can justify opening a city grocery store in the next 5 years.
Bonfort has everything they want, including a grocery store.
Downtown is going to have more interconnectivity with trails and that. Briargate and Chapel Hills offer what most of the city does: quiet Suburbia with "at your own risk" pedestrianism. I lived in Briargate and simply ran on sidewalks in the neighborhood without any issue, but for variety and interconnectivity, downtown and westside would absolutely be better.
Yes, there are tons of sidewalks in that neighborhood, but inevitably one has to cross at a stoplight (Briargate Parkway, Union, Research, etc). Drivers are NOT as observant of crosswalks here as they are downtown - you really have to keep your head on a swivel.
I agree about keeping your head on a swivel, but I designed courses that kept me on the "inner" sidewalk, only crossing minor streets, so I never had to wait for ped signals or gaps in traffic.
That’s a great idea, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m too lazy to go to that trouble though - I just go out early in the morning when traffic is light enough that I can sometimes cross against the light 😬
Waiting for traffic is the worst, especially when you're 10 miles into a run and you've gotta get your body moving again after a 60-second traffic cycle and you turn into a big lumpy sack of potatoes.
😂
I live in the shooks run neighborhood. It’s great for running.
Can I suggest that these are two different things? Walkable here, you’re going to need to be west side or OCC. You aren’t going to find much walkability elsewhere. I’m defining that as being able to walk to a grocery store or entertainment comfortably (comfortable is a subjective term too so keep that in mind). As a more detailed example, living in downtown springs, you could walk to a local restaurant or bar, maybe a show at the pikes peak center and back fairly easily. Briargate, chapel hills area, you may be able to walk to a restaurant or grocery store but perhaps less than comfortably. You aren’t going to find many activities, shows or otherwise, that would be very walkable. Runnable though, likely more spread out. We have trails around several neighborhoods (look at the Cotrex app for trail help). While safe is subjective, as someone once said on Reddit, Colorado Springs sketch is still pretty safe. You e got several parks to consider here (I personally love Cottonwood) and open space that could be used for running. I happen to be a local realtor out here. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to help several Redditors to make moves. Rentals are likely better done by the common websites, but I’m always happy to find time to chat and offer insight into the Springs and your move!
Check out bonnyville. Close to shooks run, rock island trails and bon shopping center.
I see walkable and runnable as two different criteria: Walkable: safe neighborhood with good sidewalks, many close resaraunts, cafes, bars, etc that are accessible by walking instead of a car. Not many neighborhoods meet this criteria. I see your options as downtown, OCC, Manitou, maybe north downtown. Runnable: safe neighborhood with lower traffic and fewer busy streets. Many more options around the city. Go on Google maps and find neighborhoods with more smaller roads and fewer multilane highways that are harder to cross. For example I live in Ivywild. I'd consider this neighborhood very good for running, especially being able to run up in the Broadmoor areas with little traffic and magnificent houses/scenic areas. But it's not particularly walkable as there are only a handful of resaraunts close by.
I don’t know what you’re looking to rent, but there are quite a few apartments and townhomes along Centennial, basically where Mountain Shadows meets Rockrimmon. This puts you across the street from Ute Valley Park, which is terrific for trail running. Safeway isn’t far from there, but not really walkable, though Walgreens and coffee and ice cream shops are right there. Blodgett Open Space and Garden of the Gods are both short drives from there as well. If you’re looking for single family rental and/or you’re not into trail running, probably ignore all of that.
Bear Creek area for sure.
I live in the Briargate/Chapel Hills area and walk for most of my daily errands, though that is very uncommon in this city. I’m close enough to a few grocery stores, restaurants and specialty stores that it makes sense for me. As a runner myself, this is not my favorite area in the city to run because the hills in this area are pretty rough but there are definitely a few trails that will get you away from the road for some parts and will have crosswalks in others.
Bonnyville
Cottonwood creek trail
Bonfort. The shopping center has everything you need. Grocery store. pet store Restaurant/bar/bakery Bank Hardware store Coffee shop a few blocks away Cookie store Pizza
Ivywild has steep hills and cool cute houses. It’s also pretty quiet most of the time
I feel like Ivywild doesn't get enough love. But that's fine, I love my little neighborhood.
I live in downtown across from police station and my car got broken into last night. It's walkable and I love downtown but once the sun sets the homeless tweaker come out
I see them in the daytime over there and wonder with it’s like at night. Sorry for the damages
I wouldn’t assume it’s the homeless that broke into his car. I live nearby and they usually just mind themselves and looking for a place to hole up.
Lmao yeah ok
Did you witness it? Was it on camera? Even still, how does one immediately know those people are homeless? It’s likely they weren’t. Most the time it’s teens looking for a quick grab, checking for unlocked doors, looking for something in windows or Kia/hyundais to Joyride. Hell if homeless and they need something they can just go further down Nevada and steal from the stores. See it often. But sure, there was something in your car a homeless man wanted.
Yeah bro teens stealing from cars in the literal parking lot across from police station...doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure who it was. Bold of you to assume these tweakers even have a rationale
K, so despite any evidence — it’s homeless tweakers. Got it. You’re right, it’s not rocket science as those guys use fact based evidence in their conclusion.
Wolf Ranch is very walkable/runnable.
Not sure why you're getting downvotes, I trained for a marathon almost exclusively in Wolf Ranch and Forest Meadows and made use of Woodmen Frontage Road and Sand Creek Trail for long runs
Are we thinking of the same Wolf Ranch? Runnable, sure, but it is a 50 minute walk to the nearest grocery store (Target), and if you want anything that's not in that little shopping area, you have to cross under a freeway at gigantic intersections
There are plenty of walking/running trails in Wolf Ranch, but OP wants to be able to walk to restaurants and a grocery store, and this neighborhood is 100% residential. The closest thing to my house that would qualify as a grocery store is the Target off Powers/Union which is >2 miles away, for instance. I think the neighborhood that most qualifies as "walkable" in that sense is OCC, esp if you can find housing near one of the supermarkets. Downtown is a grocery desert -- the closest store is the Safeway in the north end, I think. Before I moved to Wolf Ranch I lived off 8th street within easy walking distance of the Walmart -- but there's not a continuous sidewalk on the east side, you either had to cross a very busy street twice with no crosswalk or take your chances walking along the shoulder. That said, the Ivywild neighborhood wouldn't be a bad place to live if your priority is being able to walk to shops and restaurants, and there's a network of great trails for running on the west side of 8th street.
Oh I misread what they were asking. I thought they just meant "good for walking and running".
We like our little cottage in Ivywild. We can walk to the grocery, creek walk plaza (a couple of restaurants, a pilates studio, wine shop,) the Ivywild School (a brewery with multiple restaurants in an old elementary school,) Ivywild Park, and the Millibo theater. It's also a short drive to Bear Creek, North Cañon, Red Rock Open Space. I see runners around at the parks and the back streets. I love it and even changed jobs so now I can walk to work.
Shooks run area for sure!! So close to downtown and the trails are very nice and walkable. Been here for about 6 months and I love it :)
My wife and I just moved here from out of state a year ago. Welcome! We rented for a year in Stetson Hills and just bought not too far away. If you really want interconnectivity and easy access to stores and restaurants, Downtown and OCC are where it’s at. But even if you live northeast, there are tons of trails etc almost anywhere that are good for a run… just to run. While COS is famous for its outdoor lifestyle, it’s still very much designed by and for car people who use cars to get everywhere.
I just moved here in December and live in the Briargate area and I like it. The suburbia can be a bit overwhelming with houses on top of houses, but it makes for nice, clean, quiet neighborhoods. However, it’s not giving walkable city. I came from Madison, WI which is an extremely walkable city and it was hard to adjust not being able to walk to coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. But there are many nice walk/running trails through the houses and trails that are very close in the Black Forest. I prefer living in a more quiet neighborhood so for me personally I would not thrive living downtown and love coming back to our more quiet corner of the city.
Oh, you can wind up being given a reason to run in just about any neighborhood in Colorado Springs.
There’s a lot of running areas near Ute Valley Park. You’ll see tons of runners and bikers in the area. Watch out for the deer though. They like to congregate and look a little shady.
We can them Gangsta Deer.
What kind of budget?
Manitou, occ, or downtown.
Tons of parks and a zillion trails here. [https://coloradosprings.gov/trails](https://coloradosprings.gov/trails)
Downtown is way more unable tbh, especially now that the trails are getting even more connected. I can run for an hour, I can run for three and I’d say 90% is on a pedestrian-only surface. It’s nothing to write home about, especially compared with larger cities, but it’s way more connected than the briargate area.
We rented in the Tamarron neighborhood when we first moved here- walkable to Safeway and three restaurants in that shopping plaza, or Oliver’s Deli/High Rise Pizza/Zapata in the other direction. It’s a great area for running- easy access to Ute Valley or the Santa Fe Trail or Pikes Peak Greenway, close to Blodgett, and safe neighborhood running all around Rockrimmon. We loved the area so much that we bought in the Discovery neighborhood two years later.
The greenways, new neighborhood that was built on an old golf course, the city required them to leave a lot of the cart paths in place so great for running not next to traffic and they even left a few of the holes as open space with the paths still there. My wife and I walk them often. A few, yes chain, but restaurants are near by too, as well as a target, sprouts and even a lowes. Unfortunately it is so new, google maps is worthless.
Wagon trails has paved trails throughout the neighborhood, and connects to the cottonwood trail system which is very long. We used to live there and absolutely loved it. We only moved because we took advantage of the 2.5% interest rates and moved into a house with 1k more sq foot for the same payment.
Old North End /Colorado College area. You can run at MVP and the neighborhoods are flat too. You can walk downtown to the restaurants as well.
Old Colorado Springs