Every February, Cripple Creek — the historic gold-mining town an hour's mountain drive west of Colorado Springs — lines its main street with massive carved-ice sculptures, many of them interactive, all of them free to wander.
It's the Pikes Peak region's best excuse for a winter day trip, and it rewards the ones who check the weather and go on the crisp, sunny days.
Professional carving teams build large-scale ice installations along Bennett Avenue — thrones, tunnels, slides, and each year's themed showpieces — which stand for the festival's multi-week run, weather permitting. Sculptures are typically best early in the run, before sun and warm spells soften the details.
The route — Highway 24 west through Woodland Park, then Highway 67 south — is a scenic mountain drive that can also be an icy one. Check conditions after storms, and treat the trip as part of the outing: Mueller State Park and Woodland Park both sit on the way.
The festival pairs with everything else Cripple Creek does: casinos with cheap food as their business model, mining-history museums and tours, and the town's resident donkey herd's off-season absence notwithstanding, plenty of old-West wandering. Dress for a 9,500-foot February.
Keep planning
It runs for roughly two weeks each February along Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek. Check the live listings on this page for the current year's window.
Yes — walking the sculptures is free. Food, casinos, and museums are where the day costs money.
About an hour west via Highway 24 and Highway 67 — a mountain drive that can be icy after storms, so check conditions before you go.
Early in the run, before sun and warm days round off the fine details — and on cold days generally. A cold snap mid-festival can keep everything sharp.