April is when Colorado Springs starts saying yes again — patios reopen in earnest, trailheads refill, and the calendar of festivals, markets, and outdoor events begins its climb toward summer.
It's a shoulder month in the best sense: summer amenities are waking up, but summer crowds haven't arrived.
April is many locals' favorite hiking month — cool mornings, greening scrub oak, and full access to the city trail systems. It's an ideal month for the Manitou Incline before summer heat makes the timing brutal, and for Seven Bridges and St. Mary's Falls as the snowmelt makes the creeks run.
Spring is baby-animal season at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and the giraffe herd — one of the largest in North America — is the headline act. Easter-season egg hunts and community events fill the family calendar; check the with-kids events page for what's on.
First Friday art walks downtown and in Old Colorado City hit their stride as the weather warms, and the concert calendar at the city's venues picks up ahead of summer.
Happening right now
Yes — it's a shoulder month with mild weather, open trails, and thin crowds. The trade-off is variable weather: pack for sun and snow in the same trip.
Early wildflowers and flowering trees start in April at city elevation, with the bigger wildflower shows arriving May through July as elevation rises.
Weekday mornings are comfortably quiet; weekends build fast in nice weather. Free reservations are required year-round, and spring is the best season to climb it — cool air, no ice, no summer sun.