Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: April 2024
Garden of the Gods is located just west of Colorado Springs on the outskirts. It gets its name from a surveyor who first saw the impressive rock formations in 1859. He stated that it was “a fit place for the gods to assemble” and called it the Garden of the Gods. And the name stuck.
We flew into Denver the day before to embark on a two week road trip through Colorado and northern New Mexico. I guess our itinerary sounded super interesting as our in-laws decided to join us and spend some quality time with baby M. They flew in the day after us and we met up in Manitou Springs.
We had a long day of driving as we planned to head south to Sante Fe, New Mexico. But before that a quick visit to the Garden of the Gods was in order. We got an early start to the day and arrived at the entrance of the park just before 8am. But it turns out today was a special event, Motorless Morning at the Garden of the Gods where motor vehicles weren’t permitted within the park between 5am and noon. It wasn’t ideal, but I like the idea of the event. So we parked our car at the Trading Post parking lot and headed out on foot.
After consulting the map, we landed on the Siamese Twins Trail (0.8km loop, rated moderate). To get there required walking along the road for a short stretch and taking a connector path through an open field.
The trail leads to two similar looking rock formations. It’s pretty much uphill the entire way, with several stairs, but it felt good to get the legs (and the lungs) working. From the rock formations we also had a nice view of the mountains.
The trail continues onward to form a loop back to the trail head. But there’s also a turnoff at the Siamese Twins rock formations for the Palmer Trail, which we took. The trail runs parallel to the road. We followed this for a couple of kilometres to get to the Perkins Central Garden Trail (1.8km loop, rated easy). The trail is paved and loops around several impressive rock spires.
The trail is named after Charles Elliot Perkins. He purchased Garden of the Gods after his friend, General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, convinced him to. Perkins never built on the land and instead allowed the public to enjoy his property. He wanted the land to become a public park, but passed away before arrangements could be made. His children followed through on his wishes and gave the land to Colorado Springs on the condition that the park remain free to visitors, be kept in its natural state and keep its name of Garden of the Gods.
Once we completed the loop we made our way back towards the car. This time walking along the road for a change of scenery.
We passed a number of runners and other hikers on the way. Maybe it’s a good thing the park was only accessible by foot this morning as the trails would have otherwise been busier. And while it would have been nice to take the scenic drive along Juniper Way, we weren’t willing to wait around until noon for when vehicles are allowed back on the roads. And so we headed towards Santa Fe.
L
I think you guys got lucky, honestly. Traffic here is awful because the roads are so narrow and there’s never anywhere to park, especially on weekends. From your pictures, it looks like it wasn’t nearly as crowded as normal!
Such beautiful landscapes. 😊
For sure. The red rock formations are stunning.
While it would have been nice to visit all the different scenic overlooks in the park, I’m okay with avoiding the crowds and having to fight for parking. We came to get our steps in anyway. So it sounds like it was meant to be!
Beautiful rock formations.
Geology rocks! I love how many of the rock formations are named as well.
It’s a city park, not a state park. The city of Colorado Springs runs it.
You’re absolutely right. Thanks so much for the correction!
So many great rock features in the park. Sounds like you timed it right by accident since it was less busy. Maggie
Oh I know. At first we were a bit bummed that we couldn’t take the scenic drive through the park, but I think it worked out for the best as we were able to experience a quieter side of the park. Hiking isn’t nearly as enjoyable when the trails are busy.
I love the name of this park. It looks fabulous. I love this kind of topography.
With a name like Garden of the Gods, we couldn’t pass this one up. The rock formations are beautiful. And because cars weren’t allowed in the park before noon our hike was very peaceful.
Interesting! I visited Garden of the Gods briefly in 2000 and my boyfriend and I have been talking about a trip to Colorado with this as one of our must-see’s. I’ll have to make sure I know if anything like this is going on when we do because we’ll probably want to drive along Juniper Way.
Clearly I should have done a bit more research! Even though we couldn’t drive our car through the park, it was kind of nice to not deal with the crowds. We mostly had the trails all to ourselves first thing in the morning. Apparently it can get quite busy, especially on weekends. Happy trip planning! A road trip through Colorado is a great idea!
The park is appropriately named as the scenery is heavenly. I visited in July 2000. In 1970, several high school classmates and I agreed to meet at the summit of Pike’s Peak on July 4, 2000. Six of us did, and Garden of the Gods was a side trip.
What a great spot to meet up with some of your old schoolmates! There was actually a snowfall warning on Pikes Peak the day before we were visiting, so that was a hard pass for us. Plus the elevation would have been a bit too much for our little one. We were still in the process of trying to acclimatize before heading higher up in the mountains.
The low foliage along the path, and the flowers look lovely among the stunning rocks.
One of the main reasons we visited Colorado in the early spring was to avoid the crowds. It was a nice surprise to see some wildflowers starting to emerge on the trails. While the weather was a bit variable, the trails were in great condition and the scenery did not disappoint.
I love your photos so much! Makes me wish I was going there soon. 🌺
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. The rock formations are beautiful. And there’s always something special about being in the mountains. Cheers. Linda
We were there several years ago and we remember it as crowded. The kids didn’t enjoy it and we ended up going somewhere else (Pueblo, I think).
Dealing with the crowds is never fun. It’s probably a good thing that the motorless morning event was happening when we were visiting then as it wasn’t very busy at all.
I love all those rock formations! I hope your trip went well and baby M loved the introduction to our beautiful world🙂
The rock formations were pretty neat and they gave a nice preview of the beautiful landscape in the area. Baby M mostly slept during the hike but was definitely enjoying the fresh air. She was such a good little traveller on this road trip. Let’s hope it stays this way!
The rock formations all through that area are so fascinating. The last time I was there it was busy but not crowded, but that was also about 12 years ago now. Great photos, Linda.
Thanks! I wasn’t expecting the landscape to look like that in Colorado with all those red rock formations. It felt like we were in Utah or Arizona. At first we were a bit disappointed to visit during one of their motorless morning events, but it worked out well as the trails weren’t very busy. I just wish we planned a bit better and brought a backpack with us so we could have spent a bit more time hiking.
I visited here last year and absolutely loved all the rock formations! I think they are especially great because they are surrounded by green hills. Looking forward to reading about your visit to Santa Fe 🙂
The rock formations are beautiful and the landscape is very picturesque. Spring was just getting started so we even got to enjoy some of the early blossoms and blooms.
What tremendous foresight Mr. Perkins had, to want to keep the land free and natural! Looks like you picked a perfect day to go, with so little traffic. Love your images of natural rock formations and the walking trails.
Oh absolutely. It’s fantastic that he recognized just how special the land was and that it should be shared with others. At first we were a bit disappointed to visit during one of their motorless mornings event in the park, but it worked out well as the trails weren’t very busy. It was a nice way to start our day.
A well named park Linda. What a beautiful hike and a beautiful gesture by the owner to keep this place accessible to all. How did you find the hiking at that altitude? I know we felt the altitude for the first couple of days at Zion and Bryce in Utah. Thanks for sharing. Have a great evening. Allan
With a name like that we knew we couldn’t resist checking it out. Plus it was free to visit, which is always a bonus. It was hard to tell whether it was the altitude, carrying the baby, or being out of shape, but it took a few days of hiking to get into a good rhythm. We took things slow though and stuck to the easier trails to start. We also worked our way up to progressively higher elevations during our road trip to give us, but more importantly the baby, time to acclimatize. Hope you enjoyed the weekend. Linda
Wow! Looks an awesome place to visit, love the road and views.
Those stones in the last photo are amazing. Thank’s for share Linda.
Have a relaxing weekend! Elvira
The rock formations were fascinating and I just loved the colour of the landscape. Thanks for reading. I hope you had a wonderful weekend as well and managed to get some rest and relaxation. Cheers. Linda
Garden of the God’s State Park is so wonderful to view 🌷🙏💗😍 rocks are incredible beauty 👍🏻😊
So amazing nature and surroundings , I love this post and thank you so much for sharing dear friend 💕👏
The scenery was stunning, especially the red rock formations. Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Linda
This is such an amazingly beautiful part of the US. A few years ago we spent two weeks visiting some national parks in Utah and Colorado; it was one of our best trips ever. Like Diana mentioned, it was lucky there were no cars allowed in the park that morning. When we visited Arches NP, on a weekday morning in October it was completely packed with visitors leaving no available parking at many of the trailheads. I hope baby enjoyed the trip and flights as well!
You’re right, there’s so many fantastic national parks in this area. And I love how the landscape and history are so different in each of them. I had no idea the Garden of the Gods was so popular! But then again, most parks and green spaces are these days. The motorless morning event probably worked out in our favour as we had the trails mostly all to ourselves. We visited Arches later on our trip on a Monday morning and found it extremely crowded as well. It took nearly an hour to even get in the park and this was with the timed reservation system. It was insane. We had a much better experience when we visited in the middle of January a few years ago.
Interesting that they have these car free days but I would probably have been a little frustrated at not being able to see more of the park if time was limited. Great that you took the trail, the rock formations are stunning.
They only have a few of these motorless morning events throughout the year. Go figure it’s on the morning that we’re visiting. Based on what others have said, it probably worked out as the trails weren’t very busy. That being said, I just wish we knew beforehand so we could have planned our morning a bit better.
A vehicle free concept is not a bad idea even if it did change your day a little. And you explored some interesting terrain.
For sure. Apparently this park gets rammed with visitors, especially on the weekend. The motorless morning event was definitely a great way to avoid the crowds even if it meant skipping a few overlooks on our itinerary.
Lucky duck! I love that area and this park in particular!
The landscape is gorgeous with all the red rock formations and views of the mountains in the background. It was a lovely way to start our morning. I can see why you love this park so much.
It’s just so different than what I know at home that I can’t get enough of it.
I hear yah. Southern Ontario is similar to Ohio in that it’s relatively flat. There’s just something about the mountains that keeps calling me back. I’m also fascinated with all the sandstone cliffs, canyons, arches and other interesting rock formations in the southwest.
I actually live in southern Ohio where we are know for rolling hills and lots of trees. People often mistakenly call our hills mountains. Lol. Perhaps you can visit sometime!
Everything here is so green and lush for most of the year that it’s a stark contrast to see so little green and so much red and brown like you find around the southwest. It’s fascinating!
Looks like a beautiful outing. It did probably work out better that you were there on a motor less day as things seemed quieter.
Baby M is really covering quite a lot of ground in such a short time. Just amazing!
It all worked out for the best as apparently parking can be cut throat. This way we got to experience a quieter side of the park. M was perfectly happy napping in her baby carrier as we hiked. I’m not so sure that strategy would work so well now as she’s become much more alert and curious. And she hates napping.
Wait till she starts walking. 😆
Oh gosh, it’s crazy how quickly she’s growing. I guess I better get started on baby proofing the house!
What a truly stunning park to explore and photograph, Linda! I love the outstanding geological features of the park sculpted through time by the forces of nature. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
With a name like Garden of the Gods we knew this was going to be a good one. The landscape looked beautiful. It was nice to see some of the early spring blossoms on the trail as well. Thanks for reading. Linda
Beautiful 😍.
Going for a hike is always a great way to start the day. The red rock formations were beautiful.
If I had a lot of money, I would’ve done what Charles Elliot Perkins did. There are too many places here in Indonesia that were once pristine which have now been excessively commercialized. Motorless Morning sounds like a great idea, although it forced you to walk while carrying the baby.
It’s amazing that he recognized just how special this land is and that he wanted to share it with everyone rather than keeping it for himself. People like him are a rarity. It’s too bad we aren’t doing more to protect our green spaces, especially given how popular they’ve become.
I like the idea of the motorless morning. I just wish we knew beforehand so we could have planned our morning a bit better. We still managed to get some hiking in though and got to experience a quieter side of the park.
Nice one
Very cozy
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. With a name like Garden of the Gods we knew we couldn’t resist going for a hike here.
Absolutely Beautiful Pictures. Thank you for taking us along on this Journey
Thanks for your kind words. Going for a hike was a lovely way to start our day. The landscape looked beautiful with those red rock formations and views of the mountains in the distance.
Indeed . Thank you for sharing
And many thanks for reading. Take care.
🤗🤗
This is great. Just up the mountain too is a beautiful little town called Woodland Park. Great views of Pikes Peak from there too. I frequented this place a lot last year.
I’ll have to add that to the list for when we return. There was a snowfall warning on Pikes Peak the day before so we didn’t want to risk driving at a higher elevation. Plus our little one needed to acclimatize a bit more. I can see why you spent a lot of time in this area. The scenery is beautiful and it seems like there’s some fantastic hiking trails.
I love rock formations … and the rocks you guys saw are pretty spectacular. I think one also realises how big some of these rocks really are when you walk between them. And it’s free to explore? Bonus!
Oh I know! I can’t help but feel so teeny tiny when I’m standing next to the big rock formations too. And who doesn’t like free!?!
What an amazing place, I love all the formations and the colours. I’m looking forward to Santa Fe 🙂
The red rock formations are beautiful. It was also nice to see some wildflowers start to bloom along the trails. Santa Fe was fantastic. We wish we could have spent a bit more time there.
I keep missing this on my visits to Colorado, but it looks so stunning!
With a name like Garden of the Gods, we knew we couldn’t resist visiting for a couple of hours, especially since it wasn’t too far out of the way. Hopefully you’re able to visit someday. It’s a wonderful place to go for a hike and enjoy the scenery.
Lovely. Lovely. Just lovely. Great pix!! Thanks for sharing Linda!!!!
Thanks for your kind words. It was nice to the start the day by going for a hike and enjoying the scenery.
it is absolutely breathtaking!
Oooh such a fun place. We used to live near there and loved hiking through. Enjoy!
pathlesspair.com
It must have been so nice to live close to several green spaces like Garden of the Gods. That’s one of the main reasons why we moved out of the city a few years ago. Well, that and not wanting to sit in traffic whenever we needed to drive somewhere.
The rock formations are beautiful and very photogenic. I love the park’s name, it’s a great name for a park!
Oh absolutely. With a name like that you know the scenery is going to be great. I’m glad it did not disappoint.
Beautiful place!! The views of the mountains off in the distance * swoon*
The red rock formations were beautiful. There’s just something about the mountains that keeps calling me back.
What beautiful landscape!
The views of the mountains never get old. The rock formations were also very beautiful, which made for some scenic hiking.
My experience with Colorado hiking is never underestimated the difficulty of the hike. I would also recommend the spectacular Royal Gorge Bridge outside of Colorado Springs. We On our cruise, we really loved the Saguenay fiords. We will be going to Montreal on our August road tip. Do you have any recommendations?
Good to know. There were so many trails and state parks that we didn’t have enough time to explore. We’ll have to add Royal Gorge Bridge to our list for next time.
We actually just visited Montreal a few months ago. I’d highly recommend wandering through Old Montreal and seeing the Notre-Dame Basilica. Mount Royal is a fabulous spot to go for a walk and enjoy a nice view of the city. And the Montreal Biodome is also pretty cool. We really wanted to go to the Montreal Botanical Garden, but we were visiting in the winter and ended up skipping it due to the snow. I’m sure it’s lovely in the summer though. Happy travels!
There are some great rock formations out there, and I can understand why this has attracted so much attention. The way the park has enhanced them makes them look even better today.
Oh I know. And I love the colour of the rock formations as well. I wasn’t expecting that in Colorado. It honestly felt like we were in Arizona or Utah.
It’s been years since I’ve been to the Garden although I don’t live that far away. Enjoyed going there again with you. Some great photos. As I’m sure you know, parks are struggling with traffic and so many, especially national parks, have resorted to huge parking lots and shuttles.
We’re dealing with the same issues too. Many of our parks in Ontario now require a day-use permit that you can reserve in advance in an effort to better control the crowds and traffic. It seems like the timing of the Motorless Morning at Garden of the Gods worked out well as it wasn’t very busy when we visited. I don’t think that would have been the case otherwise. Seems to me like we need to create more parks in North America!!
Such cool rock formations. I am glad his children honoured his wishes. It’s much better as a free park than as someone’s property.
Most definitely. Donating your land to create a park is such a fantastic legacy to leave behind!
How exciting you were finally able to explore the Rocky Mountain West of the USA! This is my neck of the woods… I live in Colorado. It is beautiful here, and really one of the very best places to live in the USA (I am biased of course!). I scanned some of the comments and see the parking issue is mentioned. It is true, that has become a problem in Colorado. It seems just wrong that we now have to make reservations to enter Rocky Mountain National Park, for instance. Someday I’d like to explore the Canadian Rockies… I haven’t been there yet.
It was nice to see the Rockies from the other side. I can see why Colorado is so popular. One of the reasons we visited early in the spring was to avoid the crowds, especially at Rocky Mountain. Some of our parks in Ontario now require reservations and timed entries as well. It’s a sign we need to create more green spaces! Hopefully you’re able to visit the Canadian Rockies someday as the scenery is equally (if not more) stunning.
Somehow the name of the park is more American in style. We don’t have any parks with a comparable name.
That’s very true! The name of the park definitely sounds very American! I’m not going to lie, with a name like that, we knew we couldn’t pass this park up!
That’s such a beautiful thing that his children carried out his wishes for the land. Now, everybody can enjoy it . I love when people have opportunities to do good like that and do it ! This place looks absolutely beautiful. Great post !
Thanks! Agreed, it’s pretty amazing that this piece of land was converted into a park for all to enjoy the scenery and that it’s free. I’d say it’s a much better use than converting it into more houses!
Absolutely!!! Places like that need to be around. They’re a welcome break from the monotony of life
Oh I know! We should be doing more of that and trying to create more parks. There’s clearly a huge demand (and need) for them.
There really is! ❤️ they would help bring peace to so many people, too
Absolutely! There’s so many benefits to spending time outside, especially in nature.