To get to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is located on the southwestern side of Colorado Springs, drive past The Broadmoor and through the neighborhood... don't worry, just keep going, and eventually you'll see the signs.  If you're looking for an uphill experience, this is a perfect place, because it's built on the side of the mountain.  Make sure that if you have little kids, you bring a stroller, or they'll be fizzled out before youget halfway through.  This zoo is amazing in as far as views go, but I'm torn on how I feel about some of the conditions of captivity by zoos in general.  I'm sure there are some pros to this institution, I'm just not going to talk about them. 

The weather on this August day last summer was perfect... a mildly cool breeze with cloudiness, then ended up pouring buckets of rain suddenly.  We were about halfway up the hillside when the rain got bad, and took shelter under this huge tree by the birds of prey.  We didn't get to see everything we wanted to that day, so we're going back in the next few months with both girls in tow this time.

There's one downside... the parking is limited, which is a good thing, because this zoo can't handle gigantic crowds.  I don't know what the busiest days are, so arrive early if you really want to see it.  It's totally worth it.

K