Billed as the ‘Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado,’ Seven Falls is a popular 181-foot-tall waterfall to visit in Colorado Springs and it’s even got a restaurant at the base. That said, tourism at the spot comes from humble beginnings, starting out with only a toll gate of barbed wire fencing and an entry fee of 10 cents.

According to the destination’s website, James Hull bought the property that included Seven Falls on Dec. 18, 1882. On March 9, 1883 Hull started building a road to the waterfalls. He also added a toll gate of barbed-wire fence and charged visitors a toll of 10 cents. Sadly, Hull died before the road was finished, but his sons took over the property. They built the original wooden stairway up the falls and completed the road.

The wooden stairway was converted to 224 steps of iron in 1891. C.D. Weimer purchased the land and owned it until 1946. The falls grew in popularity as a tourist attraction as trains brought tourists to Colorado Springs and cars and carriages shuttled them to see the waterfalls.

Al Hill purchased Seven Falls in 1946. He added a tunnel and elevator so that people could view the scene from the Eagle’s Nest. He also put in the lights at Seven Falls so that visitors could view them during the nighttime as well.

Although the fall’s owners took good care of the natural feature, the area was hit by two floods that destroyed parts of the destination. The first flood hit in 1965 and wiped out the entire visitor park and while the area proved to be resilient and was reestablished, a second flood would bring more devastation.

According to Pikes Peak Region Attractions, a flood that hit in 2013 reshaped the park forever. The Pikes Peak region was struck with five days of immense rain, and it fell in an area that had experienced two summers of fires and long dry periods. Water ran through Cheyenne Creek and streams hit water levels so destructive that they ruined the visitor park and road leading to Seven Falls. The Walker Family, who owned the property at the time, tried their best to keep it open but the park was ultimately forced to close for over two years. The attraction was then sold to The Broadmoor hotel, which was able to reopen the destination and even add more attractions to the area.

The Seven Falls property was sold on April 11, 2014 to Philip Anschutz and The Broadmoor with The Broadmoor Seven Falls, Restaurant 1858 and the Woods course of The Broadmoor Soaring Adventure opening on June 22, 2015. The Fins Course, another adventurous zip line course, opened in 2016.

What began as a simple tourist attraction has turned into an adventurous destination highlighting one of Colorado’s most stunning collections of waterfalls.

At time of publishing, an adult ticket to visit the falls ranged from $21 to $25.

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