A Colorado Springs-born tradition returns this August when hundreds of motorcycle riders roll through Teller County to honor prisoners of war and service members still listed as missing in action.
The 2026 Annual Salute to American Veterans Rally is scheduled for Aug. 21–22 in Cripple Creek. The event is billed as Colorado's greatest celebration of freedom, patriotism, and camaraderie. It is the longest-standing gathering of veterans and patriots in the western United States and continues to be meaningful, somber, cathartic, and celebratory for participating veterans and supporters.
Thirty-nine years after its founding, the Recognition Ride is expected to draw over 1,500 riders from across the nation. The ride departs Woodland Park at 10 a.m., and supporters can line the streets and Highway 24 between Woodland Park and Divide, and Highway 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek. Residents in those corridors are encouraged to bring chairs and flags to welcome riders as they pass through.
Veterans of all eras, active-duty military members, their families, and patriotic citizens from across the country attend the festival to celebrate service members' honor, duty, selflessness, and sacrifice. The entire festival is free and open to the public, and over 350 charities have benefitted from Veterans Rally proceeds throughout the years.
The event traces its roots to a simple motorcycle ride organized in 1987 with the intent to raise public awareness of veterans whose whereabouts are still unknown. The ride's founder, a son of a military officer, was inspired after discovering that local students visiting his motorcycle shop did not know the meaning of the iconic black-and-white POW/MIA flag displayed on the wall. He and the High Country Custom Cycles crew in Colorado Springs rounded up friends, veterans, and local bikers, affixed homemade star-spangled banners and POW/MIA flags to their motorcycles, and headed out for a ride through town with the goal of making as much noise as possible to raise public awareness.
As the annual ride grew from a dozen motorcycles to many hundreds, it captured the interest and support of the public, local businesses, vendors, and city officials, ultimately giving birth to the Salute to American Veterans Rally. The Recognition Ride has since partnered with and turned over its entire operation to Veterans 4 Veterans, a local nonprofit formed to assist homeless veterans in Teller and El Paso Counties.
Schedule and registration information is available at www.theveteransrally.org or by calling 719-487-8005. Organizers have not yet released a full event schedule, which riders and spectators will want to monitor ahead of the August dates.