Colorado Springs is one of the best hiking cities in the country — and the access is built directly into the city's geography. You don't need to drive hours to reach genuinely impressive terrain. Garden of the Gods is a city park. The Incline is 20 minutes from downtown. Cheyenne Canyon is on the edge of the south side. For military families spending a tour here, getting to know the trail system is one of the best investments you can make in your quality of life during the assignment. Here are the hikes worth knowing about.

The Manitou Incline

The Incline is the most well-known physical challenge in Colorado Springs and has become a genuine community institution — you'll see active duty soldiers, veterans, retirees, and civilians of every fitness…

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If you've started researching VA loans and stumbled across the funding fee, you're not alone in being confused by it. It's one of the most misunderstood parts of the VA loan process — and depending on your situation, it's either something you need to plan for carefully or something you don't need to pay at all. Here's a plain-language breakdown of exactly how it works in 2026.

What Is the VA Funding Fee?

The VA funding fee is a one-time charge paid directly to the Department of Veterans Affairs — not to your lender, not to a title company, not to anyone else in the transaction. It replaces mortgage insurance and keeps the VA loan program self-sustaining without requiring taxpayer funding. Think of it as the mechanism that makes zero-down VA loans…

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The United States Air Force Academy sits on the north side of Colorado Springs between Monument and the city proper, occupying a stunning stretch of terrain at the base of the Rampart Range. Assignment to the Academy carries a distinct character compared to other Colorado Springs installations — longer tours, a higher concentration of senior officers and faculty, and a surrounding community that feels more suburban and less transient than the Fort Carson corridor. Here's what military families need to know about living near the Academy in 2026.

Where USAFA Families Actually Live

The Academy draws families to the north end of Colorado Springs and into the Monument and Palmer Lake communities just north of the installation along I-25. On the Colorado…

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School district is one of the top three factors military families consider when choosing where to live near a Colorado Springs installation — and it's also one of the most confusing, because the city is served by five separate public school districts with boundaries that don't align neatly with neighborhood names or zip codes. Here's a clear breakdown of every district serving military families in the Colorado Springs metro so you can make the right call for your kids before you sign a lease or make an offer.

Academy District 20 — Highest Rated in Colorado Springs

Academy District 20 covers the north side of Colorado Springs, including neighborhoods near the Air Force Academy, Monument, and Briargate. It consistently rates as the top traditional…

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Peterson Space Force Base sits on the east side of Colorado Springs along Powers Boulevard, home to Space Operations Command and several tenant units that make it one of the most operationally significant Space Force installations in the country. For military families PCS'ing here, the east side location shapes almost every housing decision — commute times, neighborhood options, school districts, and BAH alignment all look different from Peterson than they do from Fort Carson or the Academy. Here's what you actually need to know before you start your housing search.

Where Peterson Families Actually Live

The Powers Corridor is the natural home base for Peterson families — the major north-south commercial and residential corridor on the east side of…

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If you're PCS'ing to Colorado Springs and looking for a real estate agent who actually knows the military market — not just one who lists it as a specialty on their website — here's the background that matters.

Colorado Springs Native with Deep Local Roots

Luke Martin grew up in Colorado Springs and has spent his entire life in the city. That local knowledge isn't something that can be learned from a market report — it's knowing which neighborhoods have changed, which ones haven't, where the commute times actually land at 7am versus what Google Maps says, and which streets near Fort Carson flood after heavy rain. For military families making a high-stakes housing decision from across the country with limited time on the ground, that depth of local…

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The rent vs. buy question comes up for almost every military family PCS'ing to Colorado Springs — and the honest answer is that it depends on factors specific to your situation rather than a universal rule. Tour length, pay grade, family size, risk tolerance, and long-term plans all factor in. Here's how to think through it clearly so you can make the right call for your family rather than defaulting to what everyone else seems to be doing.

The Case for Renting After PCS

Renting makes the most financial sense when your tour is short — two years or less — or when you're genuinely uncertain about the area and want time to learn the neighborhoods before committing. Real estate transaction costs run 6% to 8% of the purchase price when you add up closing…

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Most people who come to Colorado Springs know about Garden of the Gods, the Manitou Incline, and Pikes Peak. Those are worth doing — but they're also what everyone does. Military families spending a full tour here have the time and proximity to find the spots that don't show up on the first page of search results. Here are the places and experiences that consistently surprise people who've been stationed here long enough to find them.

Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

Cave of the Winds sits in Williams Canyon just above Manitou Springs and offers guided tours through a series of underground caverns with impressive geological formations. It's been a Colorado Springs attraction since the 1880s and has expanded over the years to include a via ferrata, a…

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A PCS move runs on a fixed clock — and the families who handle it smoothly aren't necessarily the most experienced ones. They're the most organized. Starting early and working through the right tasks in the right order is what separates a smooth PCS from a stressful one. Here's the timeline that actually works, from 90 days out through move-in day.

90 Days Out — Orders in Hand, Start Immediately

The day your orders arrive is day one of your PCS clock. The most important tasks in this window are confirming your gaining installation's housing situation and starting your VA loan pre-approval if you plan to buy. Contact on-base housing management at your gaining installation immediately to check wait list status — on-post housing at popular…

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A VA loan assumption is one of the most powerful but least understood tools in the military real estate market right now. With hundreds of Colorado Springs homes carrying VA loans originated at 2% to 3% rates, stepping into one of those loans instead of originating a new one at today's rates can save $700 to $900 per month on a typical purchase. The process is more involved than a standard transaction — but when it's handled correctly it's entirely manageable. Here's exactly how it works from start to finish.

Step 1: Find an Assumable Property

Not every VA loan is listed as assumable in the MLS, so finding them requires intentional searching. Work with an agent who actively filters for assumable inventory and understands the transaction mechanics.…

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