Commuting from Manitou Springs to Colorado Springs
> Manitou Springs sits just west of Colorado Springs, but the route into the city is not a freeway. Traffic and timing matter.
The route
Manitou Avenue feeds east into Colorado Avenue and then into central Colorado Springs. There's no interstate option — it's surface streets through Old Colorado City. The commute to downtown Colorado Springs runs 15–25 minutes in normal conditions.
Rush hour dynamics
The bottleneck is the Colorado Avenue / 31st Street corridor through Old Colorado City. Morning and evening rush creates slow movement here. Plan for 30–40 minutes if you're commuting during peak hours.
Highway 24 access
Highway 24 is accessible from Manitou Springs heading east. This connects to Peterson and Schriever SFBs for military commuters — a solid 20–30 minute drive.
Working from Manitou Springs
Many residents who choose Manitou Springs are intentionally minimizing commutes. Remote workers, artists, and downtown Colorado Springs employees make this work most cleanly. If you're driving to Denver regularly, Manitou Springs adds meaningful time to the I-25 on-ramp.
Parking when you arrive
In Manitou Springs itself, parking is genuinely challenging on weekends when tourism spikes. Residents learn where to park; newcomers spend time circling. This is a quality-of-life consideration for households with multiple drivers.
Related reading
- City hub: [Manitou Springs city guide](/co/manitou-springs)
- Related guide: [Moving to Manitou Springs, Colorado](/co/manitou-springs/guides/moving-to-manitou-springs-colorado)
- Related article: [What daily life feels like in Manitou Springs](/co/manitou-springs/articles/what-daily-life-feels-like-in-manitou-springs)
- Food guide: [Coffee and walking routines in Manitou Springs](/co/manitou-springs/guides/coffee-and-walking-routines-in-manitou-springs)