Seven Falls is a 175-foot tiered waterfall on South Cheyenne Creek in El Paso County, Colorado, dropping through a granite box canyon southwest of Colorado Springs. It is a privately owned, ticketed attraction run by The Broadmoor, with a staircase climbing beside the falls and lights that come on after dark.
The falls
South Cheyenne Creek pours down a series of horsetail tiers between walls of Pikes Peak granite. Park documentation identifies seven named drops: Ramona, Feather, Bridal Veil, Shorty, Hull, Weimer and Hill. Measurements from lidar data show six drops of roughly 25, 35, 45, 10, 30 and 30 feet, totalling about 175 feet, since a small ledge in the last drop lacks its own pool. Earlier counts noted 181 feet, rather than the 300 feet sometimes claimed.
Getting there
Visitors park for free at the Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, and ride a shuttle to the entrance; there is no Seven Falls parking at South Cheyenne Canyon Park. From the entrance, a mildly uphill paved road runs 0.8 mile to the base of the falls. The shuttle takes wheelchairs and strollers, and a mobility golf cart stops about 100 yards short of the base.
Admission is timed and sold per person. Online tickets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. are $25 for adults, $19 for children 2 to 12 and $22 for seniors 65 and over or military; from 2 to 7 p.m. they are $21, $15 and $18. Tickets at the gate cost $2 more, and children under two are free. Season passes start at $80.
When to go
In 2026 the park is open Thursday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., from September 3 to October 19, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. From October 23 to November 29 it opens Friday to Sunday, 9 to 5, plus Thanksgiving Day. Hours can change for weather or private events. May to mid-June brings snowmelt flow, while September and October offer thinner crowds. A visit takes about two to two and a half hours on average, and the falls are illuminated after dark when hours allow.
On site
A staircase of 224 steps climbs beside the main falls to the top, which can only be reached on foot. The Eagle's Nest viewing platform is 185 steps up or a ride on the mountain elevator. Leashed dogs are allowed throughout, including the shuttle, stairs and trails. Restrooms are at the shuttle lot and inside the park.
History and name
The falls were once called Cheyenne Falls. James Hull began building a toll road into the canyon in 1883, and iron stairs replaced the wooden ones in 1891. Al Hill bought the property in 1946 and added the elevator, the viewpoint and the lighting. Floods damaged the canyon in 1965 and again in September 2013; The Broadmoor bought the park on April 11, 2014, and it reopened in 2015.
Nearby
Helen Hunt Falls and Silver Cascade Falls, both on Cheyenne Creek, are about 1.4 miles away; Josephine Falls is about 2.1 miles and Saint Marys Falls about 2.2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.