The beating heart of the city, Downtown Colorado Springs attracts large numbers of visitors, some of whom brave the traffic in the quest for a convenient parking spot.
Cars parked in front of historic buildings in Downtown Colorado Springs (Photo: teofilo via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Situated at the base of the Rocky Mountains, the city is a popular tourist destination, and the bulk of the action takes place in downtown, where visitors are met with endless recreational opportunities including shopping, dining, museums, parks and picture-postcard riverside views. Owing to its appeal, parking in the area can be somewhat tricky, but nothing that a spot of research won’t alleviate. Here’s our brief guide to parking downtown in Colorado Springs.
With around 2,400 on-street metred parking spaces dotted across the district, you can usually find somewhere to park downtown, even if it takes a few drives around the block to land somewhere. Metred parking operates from Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm, with rates starting at $1.25 per hour in the area’s historic core, $1 just outside and $0.75 on the periphery. However, if you’d prefer to park under cover for extra security and peace of mind, there are a number of options to consider. Our first choice is The Plaza on the Rockies, located on South Tejon Street, where you’ll pay $4 per hour or a daily maximum of $12. Another option we’d recommend for day parking is at 25 North Cascade, which costs $6 per hour or $12 per day. Both of these garages are open 24/7.
You can book the above parking garages at Spothero.com, as well as several other parking lots in Downtown Colorado Springs.
Free parking in Colorado Springs
As mentioned above, metred street parking only operates from Monday to Saturday up until 6pm. This leaves all of Sundays free, as well as evenings throughout the week, allowing you to come into Downtown for dinner or a show and park for free – providing you can find a place. If you don’t mind parking a little away from the centre of downtown, there are also a handful of streets on the fringes of the district where there are no metres. Other than that, your best bet for free parking is staying in one of the area’s hotels with its own private car park.
Long-stay parking in Downtown Colorado Springs
If you’re staying in Downtown Colorado Springs and don’t have free parking at your choice of accommodation, or are planning to drive into the district on multiple occasions while you’re visiting the city, the most affordable option is almost always long-term parking. This can save you a serious wedge on day parking and is also easier than scouring the area for street parking each day or paying the higher rates charged by private garages or parking lots. For example, the average rate for a monthly parking spot in the area is $80. Based on an average day rate of $10, that represents more than a $200 saving on paying for individual days.
For the best parking rates in Downtown Colorado Springs, go to Spothero.com