Manitou Spring’s Graffiti Falls

Ahhhhh the beginning of spring! The trees are budding, the weather is perfect, and the wind is fresh with the smell of…spray-paint? Well, it might be if you take a hike down to Manitou Spring’s Graffiti Falls!

So, I’m just gonna send this disclaimer out there right off the bat…I do not support the defacement of nature. It makes me sad when people don’t respect nature, and I try my best to “leave no trace”. That being said, I take exception to Graffiti Falls.

This waterfall in Manitou Springs has the official title of Rainbow Falls.  “Graffiti Falls” is the nickname the locals gave it, due to the obvious heavy graffiti.  In my opinion, this waterfall is in a pretty “urban” setting, being under a decently trafficked bridge. Because of the setting, I feel like the graffiti sort of fits, and while some of the graffiti is trashy, some of it is actually pretty artistic.

So there you have my rationalization: I’m viewing the graffiti as art. Okay??? Now lets move on with life.

Directions from HWY-24: Turn south from Highway 24 onto Serpentine Dr. This turn will be directly across from the Cave of the Winds entrance (not to be confused with the Manitou Cliff Dwelling!!!)  Once you exit, the road will take you down a hill with a very sharp 180 degree turn. At the corner of that sharp curve will be the trailhead to the Falls. If you follow the sharp curve there will soon be a little dirt parking lot on your right. You can park there and walk up to the trailhead.

Directions from Main St in Manitou: Follow the Main St through Manitou heading west. At the first roundabout in the middle of town, continue straight. This will take you out of town and you’ll start to see signs saying you are heading to 24. There will be a second roundabout almost out of town. Take your first right at this roundabout (do not continue straight or you will go to the highway!) Follow this road, because it’s the same Serpentine Dr from the above directions. You’ll soon see a dirt parking lot on your left, and you’ll see the sharp 180 curve in the road a little further, which is where the trailhead is.

(Note: I did not take either route as above, and some of my pictures will not reflect what you will see from the directions above)

After sitting and admiring the beautiful day and sound of thundering water, we crossed over the bridge and started to make our way down to the waterfall. We happened to catch some local…artists…in the act of applying fresh “artwork” under the bridge.  So in my case, the wind really did bear the smell of spray-paint!

If you approached the Falls from Serpentine Dr, the trailhead will bring you to where you see below.  You can always scramble up the rock and cross the highway to see the mouth of the falls/view from above.

Regardless of your feelings about the graffiti, I highly recommend visiting this waterfall! It’s a fairly easy hike if you are coming from Manitou, and at 46 feet, this waterfall is pretty legit! It’s definitely a must-see!

I had a doozy of a time figuring out where this waterfall was because the directions I found online sucked! Please let me know if my directions were helpful or not, so I can make adjustments if needed!

What do you guys think?? Have you been to Graffiti Falls?? Did you hate it? Did you love it? I want to know!

Until next time!