Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Julina Stout

2024-05

This is a must see if you ever visit Manitou Springs. The drive to the Cliff Dwellings is a scenic drive with beautiful mountains and trees. There is parking closer than you think. The reason I mention this is my parents need close parking and we didn’t realize there was a big parking lot at the top and ended up parking further away. There is a self guided tour that you can do but we just read the signs since I have little kids. The great thing about this place was you could go through it more than once. We went through it three times. There are stairs so just be aware of that. They have plants all around with signs that tell you what they would have been used for- medication for example. There is a hands on area near the gift shop for kids (and adults) where they can grind corn into flour with stones. The gift shop is attached to a small museum that was informative. The gift shop is huge and my kids spent just as much time there as the actual Cliffs deciding what they wanted as a souvenir. It was a wonderful experience that my kids will always remember and it sparked conversations about the Cliff Dwellers, how they lived, when they lived, etc. History came to life and that was the best part.

Jessica K.

2024-05

Lovely piece of history. Beautifully maintained with a neat little museum. The gift shop is medium size. Only complaint is the cafe was closed and the Tipi was not there. Overall - Would return!

Karan Goenka

2024-04

Beautiful heritage place. No waiting. Opens around 9am and we were there around 930 am and found ample parking. Amazing dwellings and the way preserved. Informative as well. Gift Shop was probably the best seen built inside the dwellings with lot of variety and options. Restrooms were clean and maintained.

Sarah Martin

2024-05

I’ve wanted to visit cliff dwellings for some time and this was my first opportunity. They staff was extremely friendly and helpful. They have it set up with a nice QR scan audio history guide which was nice but does covered the same material but it was pleasant enough. I was kind of surprised at the overall size of the place. We didn’t know how much time we’d spend- got there at 3:30 and it was posted they closed at 5, but was told they would be open until 5:30 by the lady at the guard shack/ ticket booth. It was plenty of time. We spent more time walking through the large gift shop area than we did actually exploring the dwellings. But it was set up nicely, exceptionally well maintained & clean (including restrooms) and they added to the experience with indigenous music playing throughout in well concealed speakers. It was a great touch that help you feel more connected to the history your were reading or listening to. I’d say plan an hour, 1.5 max. Parking wasn’t too bad, close at hand and free ;)

Danielle Cummings

2024-02

This museum is truly a gem. I went here after hiking the incline, and spent a little over an hour exploring the dwellings and gift shop. In short, the dwellings were moved here from Western Colorado, and reassembled using cement rather than clay mortar to allow greater durability so that visitors could walk through and touch them. There is also an adobe house in which Native Americans lived until the 1980s, now hosting most of the gift shop. The cliff dwellings have interesting and informative signs, though these blurbs can be listened to using on a cell phone. There is also an outdoor cafe, which was closed at the time of my afternoon visit in February. I was able to pay for entry (at the gate before the parking lot) and purchases at the gift shop using Apple Pay. Admission fee was more than reasonable and does have military discount ($10 instead of $14 for just me). The one-lane parking lot is quite long up a hill, and if you got there late on a busy day, you might have to park at the far end, which is at the bottom of the hill. This February weekday was not busy so I was able to park quite close. I believe the grounds would be wheelchair accessible, though definitely not the interior of the dwellings. I consider this a must-see while in the Colorado Springs area, especially if you’re in the manitou region for something else such as the incline or pikes peak cog train, and have an hour or to to two

Audrey Zarate

2024-05

Awesome place everyone should visit it. It's amazing how it's building into the Cliff. The people that lived there were really in stature and body size.It's my #1 place. I've been in this state. Be ready to walk and climb stairs. It is very enjoyable and interesting.

Kelly McIntosh

2024-04

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Bruce “NotACop” B

2024-03

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L. D.I.

2024-04

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Moto cycle

2024-04

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Kaytlin Stevens

2024-05

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Carla Gorosito Cox

2024-02

This was a very immersive history lesson, yet it was not overwhelming. You are given a map when you first get in with a QR coffee to listen or read the different checkpoints as you tour the dwellings. I learned a lot of cool things while climbing ladders and observing how Native Americans used different techniques to build their homes. One thing that was a big surprise was the gift shop, I mean, this is no ordinary gift shop. You can spend hours exploring it, there are 3 levels to it that are pretty huge, and some artifacts from the museum get displayed too. You will want to buy everything! There are such original art pieces, clothing, jewelry.. you name it. So, on a cold, snowy day, staying inside exploring the gift shop and the indoor museum will still be worth your ticket!

Tamee Williams

2024-04

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Peggy Muga

2024-04

Kinda pricey for what you get to see. The little museum was nice. It's a Decent size gift shop.

Thalia Velasquez

2024-03

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Jason Martin

2024-04

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Brandi Reed

2024-04

It was not too expensive. Beautiful views. Interactive dwellings. Historical museum with a nice gift shop. The only downfall was that the food hall was not open yet. We went during the off-season. Activity only takes 30 minutes to an hour at most.

Kae Salyers

2023-10

$12 for adults. Dogs are welcome everywhere people are, which is great. There is no charge for dogs. There's a bag/waste station near the tipi. We enjoyed exploring the dwellings. The gift shop is very large. I enjoyed listening to the guided tour. There's some beautiful views as well. It seems like a "once and done" tourist attraction, which is fine.

Φίλιππος Φιλίππου

2024-04

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Nicholas P

2023-10

I didn’t realize how small this was but you can probably spend like an hour here max. It was cool to see and experience even though it’s not authentic. $12 for an adult. Plenty of parking. They have a small museum and gift shop at the bottom and then the cliff dwellings replica on top. Definitely a one and done.

Rachel Brower

2023-11

This place is set up to hold a lot of people, so I'd be aware that on weekends during the summer, you might be waiting a while to get in and out of the dwelling areas. You pay while in your car, upon entry to the parking lot, like you would at a national park. They offer a military discount with proof of service. Also, I'd bring water - it can get hot fast and it's pretty dry. Dogs are allowed on leash in the cliff dwellings area but they're not allowed in the buildings (gift shop, museum). When walking around the dwellings, it might take you some time to maneuver yourself in and out of the doorways and if you have mobility issues, you may not be able to enter most of the dwelling areas at all. You can still see the area from the outside, but it might be difficult for some people (especially if you're overweight or tall) to squeeze through the small "doorways." The gift shop is a decent size with lots of items to purchase, if that's your thing. The museum is also a nice quick walk-through with interesting artifacts and information about the site. There aren't really any activities for children, but there is a cafe if you want to stop for food while you're here.

Melanie Moss

2024-03

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I Cruz

2024-05

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Brooks

2023-10

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Amanda Dowell

2023-11

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Chad Nuber

2023-09

What a great experience! I love museums and this was great. It is a very small museum, it doesn't take more than an hour or two to walk around, but it's terrific. A wide variety of ancient artifacts, tools, replicas, and touring the dwellings was fascinating. The best part is that the entire museum is dog friendly and we were greeted multiple times by employees offering treats to our pup.

Anthony Labarca

2024-05

AVOID - The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are considered by some as the biggest tourist trap in Colorado.Please learn from our mistake and avoid.The premise - These are fake cliffs that take about 10 minutes to explore, then you are funneled into a “museum” and gift shop. The museum has loads of fake artifacts, and the gift shop is a maze with more square footage than the actual “replica” cliffs themselves.Additionally, it feels like 100% exploitation of Puebloan people due to the profiting on ticket sales and cheaply made trinkets.In short, you pay money to visit a gift shop.

Natasha Kurup

2024-01

What's more amazing than the structure is the fact that it was moved from its original site to its current location in Manitou - to protect the publoan dwelling from being desecrated. Its fascinating to walk through the small but perfectly constructed rooms and learn about the history of the native people and the techniques they used. As you move across the structures from right to left you can clearly see how the natives improved in their building techniques. The museum is filled with really interesting pictoral representations of the fire pit they used, baskets and their discovery of clay to make pottery. Keep aside atleast 2 hrs to enjoy both the dwelling and the museum.

Jennie Johnson

2023-07

Great place to see a little piece of history! Tickets are required. There's a small gift shop and information center/museum. You can walk through the cliff dwellings and actually see the inside and how the native people lived. It is a small activity a place you'd probably only spend about an hour.Its about a mile from the cave of the winds so great spot to check out if your in the area!

Denise Barber

2023-09

I've been wanting to come checkout the Manitou cliff dwellings for far too long, beyond thrilled we finally had a chance to stop! It's absolutely beautiful! Limited accessibility for those in a wheelchair but you can still check some things out. Love how interactive the actual cliff dwellings themselves are (you can actually walk in and through them). There are also interactive activities throughout. There is a self guided tour easily accessible via a QR code provided when you enter. Love the museum and all of the artifacts and activities! Definitely worth it to stop by!!!