Garden of the Gods, Colorado

Has there ever been a place more deserving of its name than Garden of the Gods? Situated in the shadow of Pikes Peak, one of the tallest peaks in the Rocky Mountains at 14,115 feet, the rocky red sandstone formations of the Gardens rise tall. It is an ancient place.

History

During our springtime visit, we learned that the rocks tell the fascinating story of millions of years of history. One of the most interesting things we watched was a video showing the evolution of the land mass that is now defined as Colorado over the millennia. To my surprise, “Colorado” began in the southern hemisphere, before it slowly drifted up and collided with the other pieces of land now known as North America. At times during this upward movement, the land mass was completely covered with water and ice.

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To understand the creation of these red rock formations, we must start millions of years ago, when there was a dramatic geologic upheaval along a fault line in the earth. Through the years, deposits of limestone, conglomerates, and pink, red, and white sandstone formed horizontally into deep beds. The mountain-building uplift that created the Rocky Mountains and nearby Pikes Peak tilted these sandstone beds vertically. During the Ice Age, erosion and glaciation carved the rocks into their present formations. Geologists can read tons of history into these very old features: ancient seas and mountains, sandy beaches, and great sand dunes.

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The rocks very famously have different inconceivable shapes: two “kissing camels,” cathedral-like spires, and the craggy “Three Graces.”

What To Do

Today, Garden of the Gods offers a thousand acres and 15 miles of hiking, rock climbing, and horseback riding adventures. We arrived in the afternoon and made time for two short tramps that I highly recommend to any passing traveler:

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Central Garden Trail–This fully paved and wheelchair-and-stroller-accessible trail winds through the most notable formations in the park–Kissing Camels, Gateway, Sentinel to the west and White Rock to the east. It starts and ends at the main parking lot at the northern end of the gardens and is about 1.5 miles in distance roundtrip. We really enjoyed meandering down the path and taking our time enjoying the various spots to stop and rest (the elevation really got to us!) Make sure to look up while you’re walking, because we spotted probably 15 people rock-climbing on this beautiful spring day.

Siamese Twins Trail–This route is one mile out-and-back and gains only slightly in elevation. The entire hike plus photo-taking only took us about forty-five minutes. Unlike the Central Garden Trail, this is a traditional hiking trail without pavement, and there is a very slight “scramble” at the top to get the best photos of Pikes Peak through the Siamese Twin archway.

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After you’ve taken a few hours to explore the park, head back to the Visitor Center (across the highway) and visit the museum. This is where we learned so much about the geology and ecology of the park. I also learned, through a children’s game in the museum, that I am truly terrible at deciphering animal prints. If you’re exhausted from all this, grab a sunflower-butter-and-organic-jam sandwich from the cafe and enjoy it against a view of Pikes Peak on the outdoor terrace!

Pro tip: Behind the cafe, near the restrooms on the main floor, is a nondescript screen hanging from the ceiling. If you walk to the computer system sitting near the staircase, you will be met with a wonderful surprise. Turn the knob-like controller system back and forth a few times and look at the screen in front of you. There is a camera on top of the Visitor’s Center building that takes a picture of the Gardens every 60 seconds, every day, for the entire year. If you turn the knob backwards, you should start to see a minute-by-minute playback of every day of the past year. Matt and I played with it, totally mesmerized, until we hit Thanksgiving 2018, and then we decided to give our turn up to some very patient children. It was amazing to watch a hundred sunrises and sunsets go by.

Practicalities

Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs, which is just about an hour south of Denver. From Denver, take the I-25 south until you hit the exit for Garden of the Gods. Make sure to bring tons of water (although the Visitor’s Center can provide if you forget), sunscreen, AND sunscreen chapstick (my lips got very windburned and sunburned). Also, if you’re coming from Denver, you’ll experience a rise in elevation (Garden of the Gods sits at 6,400 feet, whereas Denver is only 5,280 feet). If you’re not used to higher elevations, you will likely notice yourself getting more easily fatigued even while walking the meandering Central Garden Trail. My advice is make sure you stay hydrated and take breaks when you feel winded.

I hope everyone who reads this gets to experience the pure historic magic of Garden of the Gods at least once in their life. Because it has been on my bucket list for years and years, I had tears in my eyes when I caught my first glimpse of Pikes Peak and the red sandstone formations. It is impossible to feel anything but blessed when you stand in the presence of something so ancient. Thank you for following along, my dear friends. Cheers!