The Peterson SFB guide

• Fly into COS — Colorado Springs Airport is literally next door and the base shares its runways; the West Gate is about 10 minutes from the terminal. All the major rental agencies are at COS, and you will want a car. Denver International (DEN) is roughly 90 minutes north on I-25 and often has cheaper fares, but budget for weather on the drive.
• The West Gate on Stewart Avenue, just off Powers Boulevard (CO-21), is the main gate and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The North Gate is weekday-only with inbound traffic limited to the morning rush, and the East Gate on Marksheffel Road runs limited hours that have changed several times with construction — confirm current East and North gate hours on the Peterson-Schriever visitor page before you plan a commute.
• The Welcome Center (visitor control) is at 1334 W. Stewart Avenue outside the West Gate, 719-556-6660, open Monday-Friday 0700-1600 and closed weekends and holidays. Bring a REAL ID-compliant license and your orders; sponsors must sign in non-DoD visitors. If you arrive after hours, the base directs newcomers to check in at lodging and see their unit's commander support staff the next duty day.
• Traffic backs up at the North and East gates from about 7 to 8:30 a.m. and 4 to 5 p.m.; the West Gate has the most lanes. Powers Boulevard is under near-permanent construction, so give yourself an extra 10 minutes the first week.

• No DoDEA schools on base; Tierra Vista housing is zoned to Colorado Springs School District 11, and most off-base families sort into District 11, Falcon District 49, Harrison District 2, Widefield District 3, or Academy District 20 depending on the neighborhood.
• District 49 has the deepest bench of Purple Star schools (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy, Falcon High, Springs Ranch Elementary, and more), District 11's Doherty High and Harrison's Otero Elementary also hold the designation, and District 20 has been Accredited with Distinction for 17 straight years.
• School Liaison Program: 135 Dover St., Suite 1116, Peterson SFB — 719-556-3152, Monday-Friday 0800-1600. Call before you pick a house; boundaries change and the liaison knows which schools have waitlists.
• Childcare: on-base Child Development Center slots are tight — put your request into MilitaryChildCare.com as soon as you have orders, and ask the liaison about Family Child Care homes in Tierra Vista and off-base fee-assistance providers.

• 21st Medical Group clinic (Space Base Delta 1) is outpatient only — primary care, pharmacy, dental, and behavioral health — open Monday-Friday 0730-1630, with Wednesday care starting at 0930. Appointments go through the Pikes Peak region line at 719-524-CARE (2273).
• There is no emergency room on Peterson. Emergencies go to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, Penrose Hospital, or Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, roughly 15-20 minutes south.
• TRICARE West Region, administered by TriWest Healthcare Alliance (888-TRIWEST); the Nurse Advice Line is 1-800-TRICARE, option 1.

Commissary

• 1040 E.
• Stewart Ave., Bldg 2019 — 719-556-7770

Exchange

• Main Exchange complex, 1030 E.
• Stewart Ave., Bldg 2017 — food court, Military Clothing, and a gas station

Fitness

Peterson Fitness & Sports Center — Mon-Fri 0500-1930, weekends 0700-1630, with 24-hour access once you register at the front desk

Dining

• Aragon Dining Facility (1160 Ent St.) has been closed for emergency repairs since 2024 — check 21fss.com for status.
• Meanwhile: The Hub, Colorado Pizza & Sports Grill, and Strike Zone Café at the bowling center, plus the Exchange food court

MWR

Outdoor Recreation (Bldg 640, 719-556-4867) rents ski and camping gear; Silver Spruce golf, aquatics, bowling, Aero Club, and ITT run through 21 FSS

History

• Peterson Air & Space Museum, 150 E.
• Ent Ave., 719-556-5543 — free, on the original 1920s airport terminal site; it has been closed for construction, so confirm the reopening date before you go

1. 01You are at 6,035 feet. Drink twice the water you think you need the first three days, go easy on the beer, and do not schedule your PT test for the first week.
2. 02Hail season is May through August. Park under cover if you can — a 15-minute afternoon storm can total a rental car — and if you hear the sirens get inside.
3. 03Winter arrives in squalls, not storms: sunny at noon, whiteout on I-25 by 3 p.m. Keep a blanket and water in the car and check the base snow-call line before you leave for the gate.
4. 04Use the West Gate. The North Gate is inbound only during the morning rush and the East Gate's hours have changed with construction; both back up from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and 4 to 5 p.m.
5. 05Book the Pikes Peak Lodge the day you get orders, especially June through August when the per diem lodging rate is $168 and airport hotels fill with tourists. If it is full, get the non-availability number in writing.
6. 06The Aragon DFAC has been closed for repairs since 2024, so meal-card TDYs turn into BAS and a lot of food-court lunches — a crashpad with a kitchen pays for itself the first week.
7. 07A Peterson TDY is often really a Peterson-Schriever-Cheyenne Mountain TDY. Schriever SFB is about 25 minutes east on Highway 94 and Cheyenne Mountain SFS is 25 minutes southwest; stay east of Powers if Schriever is on the schedule.
8. 08Sunscreen and lip balm year-round. The UV at this altitude will burn you in January, and the dry air will crack your knuckles by day two.

More Colorado guides

The USAF Academy guideColorado Springs, ColoradoThe Buckley SFB guideAurora / Denver, ColoradoThe Schriever SFB guideColorado Springs, Colorado