Last week my family and I were in Colorado Springs for a work related conference. We took an extra day to sight see around town. No trip to Colorado springs is complete, in my opinion, without a stop at Garden of the gods. Garden of the gods is a free city park featuring huge red vertical sandstone formations. The formations can be seen from almost anywhere in the city and are an amazing beautiful natural formation.
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| Garden of the gods with Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) in the background. |
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| The Red Sandstone was deposited horizontally, but has been tilted vertically by seismic activity |
The park offers many opportunities to hike, bike, horseback and even rock climb. We arrived on a warm winter day with the temperature reaching close to 50 degrees. I loaded my 14 month old on my back lead the family off on a gravel trail.
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| Following a dirt path at Garden of the gods. Pikes Peak in the background. |
As we approached the main formations I could tell there was a lot more park here then I had given them credit for. There are literally hundreds of little rock formations just inviting you to explore. In addition the park boasts 15 miles of hiking trails. The most popular trail (Perkins Trail) has been paved to prevent erosion and provide disabled access. We walked around exploring any trail or formation that caught our eye.
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| Red Sandstone formations at Garden of the gods. |
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| These rock formations look like praying hands |
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| Some beautiful red rock at Garden of the gods |
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| Along the Perkins Trail. The most popular trail has been paved to prevent erosion. |
Many of the formations had signs warning against climbing or scrambling due to loose rock. Then other formations had rock climbers set up with a rope and belay. I later found out the city has forbidden scrambling and only allows technical climbing. Climbers must fill out a free registration form at the visitor center.
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| Rock Climber at Garden of the gods. |
All and all we only spent about an hour at the park before heading on to see other things. Truth be told…I could probably have spent the whole day there exploring. While you may disagree…the park actually reminded me of Enchanted Rock in the Texas Hill Country. The formations may be totally different…but the nature of the park is much the same… endless nooks and crannies for visitors to explore.
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| A great view at Garden of the gods. |
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| Endless places to explore at Garden of the gods |
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| Garden of the gods is bigger then you think |
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| Balanced Rock at Garden of the gods |
If you are in Colorado Springs…don’t miss the opportunity to visit this iconic park.
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Griffis Family
Enjoyed the pictures. My folks used to live in the Springs and we would spend time at Garden of the Gods.
Casey
Great pics! I visited there when I was about 10 years old. I hope to take my kids soon.