If April is anything like March, the weather will be warm and balmy with ample opportunity for day trips to the mountains. Check out these destinations.Colorado Wolf and Wildlife CenterDivide, Colo.Hours: Tuesday through Sunday by tour only: 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m.; and 4 p.m. during the spring and summer; see Web site for more informationReservations required for all toursAdmission: $10 for adults; $7 for children 12 and underWeb site: http://wolfeducation.orgDistance from Falcon on Highway 24: about 48 miles; about one hour, 11 minutesThe Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a nonprofit organization providing personalized 60-to-75- minute walking tours of the wolf sanctuary, which features Mexican gray wolves, as well as foxes and coyotes.The Web site warns parents to consider whether their children are ready to hear unpleasant stories about the rescue of the centerís animals. ìWe will always respect our visitors by not getting demonstrative or too graphic in detail … but we do not sugar coat or hide truths.îGPS devices don’t work well, so visit the Web site for detailed directions.Florissant Fossil Beds National MonumentFlorissant, Colo.Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Admission: Free for children under 16; $3 for individuals 16 years and olderWeb site: https://nps.gov/flfoDistance from Falcon on Highway 24: about 55 miles; about one hour, 22 minutesFlorissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers two different kinds of fossils: massive petrified redwood tree stumps and small carbon impression fossils of plants and insects. An average visit to the monument lasts about three hours. Most visits begin with an orientation film in the Visitor Center Theater, followed by a viewing of the center’s display of small, delicate plant and insect fossils. Visitors can hike the self-guided Petrified Forest Loop to see petrified tree stumps, as well as 14 miles of scenic trails.Cheyenne Mountain Zoo4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo RoadColorado Springs, Colo.Hours through April 30: Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; visit the Web site for more informationAdmission through April 30: Adults, $14.25; children from age 3-11, $10.25; seniors 65 and older, $12.25; military adult, $11.25; military child, $7.25; children age 2 and under, freeWeb site: https://cmzoo.orgDistance from Falcon on Highway 24: about 24 miles; about 47 minutesMore than 1,200 animals of every variety live on the zoo’s 146 acres. The Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit features moose, mountain lions, Canada lynx, North American river otters, grizzly bears and bald eagles.The My Big Backyard area is a playground where kids can crawl through a play snake and visit the petting zoo, which includes rabbits, turkeys, chickens, a pot bellied pig, a prairie dog, a tarantula and dwarf goats.Check out the African Rift Valley where the largest herd of giraffes at any zoo in the world grazes. The exhibit is also home to Red River hogs, meerkats, Colobus monkeys and Grant’s zebra.Admission includes access to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun.For an additional fee of $5 for adults and $3 for kids, visitors can take the Mountaineer Sky Ride to the top of Cheyenne Mountain.Note that the zoo’s three African elephants are not available for viewing while their new habitat, Encounter Africa, is under construction.
