Back in 2009, Shae and I moved from Virginia to California. Rather than flying, we drove across the country because we had to spend a couple of weeks in Nebraska for job training.
We stayed overnight in Colorado Springs on our way from Nebraska to California, making a quick stop at Garden of the Gods the next morning as we continued heading southwest. To be honest, while I remember it looking nice, I didn’t remember it as being particularly impressive. In fact, I’d said to Shae that I thought Garden of the Gods in Illinois was even better.
There are probably a couple of reasons it hadn’t left a lasting impression on me. First, it was December and so I don’t think the weather was particularly nice. Second, it was only a quick stop, so we didn’t spend much time in the park as we still had a long drive that day.
We’re coming to the end of 6 weeks in Pueblo, CO and have visited Garden of the Gods a couple of times during that time. The park is much better and far more beautiful than I remembered, so it’s definitely worth a visit when in or near Colorado Springs.
There’s a lot to like about Garden of the Gods, such as the fact that it’s completely free to visit the park. Back in 1879, Charles Perkins bought almost 500 acres of land, part of which included some of what’s now known as Garden of the Gods. After he died, his family donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs on the condition that the land would always remain free to visit and only structures essential to the running of the park would be built there. As a result, while you’ll find some restrooms there, those are the only types of buildings you’ll see. Even the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center was built just outside of the park.
The park has lots of trails for you to explore, some of which are more strenuous than others. You can pick up a trail map from the Visitor & Nature Center, while you can find a few trail map signs around the park.
Cabin Canyon Trail
After visiting the park briefly on my 40th birthday, we returned a few weeks later to spend much longer there. The first trail we took was the Cabin Canyon Trail and the views were stunning seeing as it was May. We hadn’t gone hiking when we’d first visited 11 years ago, so seeing this side of the park was a revelation.
Another great thing about Garden of the Gods is that they’re pet-friendly. Dogs are allowed throughout the park provided they’re kept on a leash, so Truffles was able to join us which she loved.
The trails are pretty well marked, but if you didn’t happen to pick up a paper copy of a trail map, you can view the trails on Google Maps.
Scotsman Trail Loop
After walking along the Cabin Canyon Trail for a little while, we continued driving through the park and stopped in the parking lot for the Scotsman Trail Loop.
The views of the nearby Rocky Mountains from this trail were equally stunning.
Central Garden
Our next stop after the Scotsman Trail Loop was the Central Garden area. If you’re only going to make a quick stop at Garden of the Gods, this is probably the section you’ll want to stop at because you’ll get to see loads of different rock formations while walking along the Central Garden Trail. The trail is paved the entire way, so it’s also good for those in wheelchairs or other mobility issues.
Many of them have been given names – I think I’ve labeled them correctly below based on some online research, but if you’re more familiar with Garden of the Gods than I am and spot that any are labeled incorrectly, please comment below so that I can fix it 🙂
There were lots more rock formations, but I’m not sure what these ones were called.
There are several information boards in the Central Garden area. One of them explained the origins of how the park gained its name:
…One man, Malancthon Beach, commented that the spot would be a great place for a beer garden someday. His friend, a poetic young man named Rufous Cable, replied that it was a place “fit for the Gods.” The name Garden of the Gods has expressed the awe and admiration felt by Cable and by visitors ever since.
There are warnings on the Central Garden Trail to remain on the paved path due to possible rattlesnakes in the area. We didn’t see any, but be sure to keep an eye out for other wildlife because we saw deer right next to the trail both times we visited recently.
Climbers are allowed to scale the rock formations provided they have the equipment needed and have obtained a permit beforehand. It was beautiful weather when we visited, so there were lots of climbers scaling different rocks.
Juniper Way Loop
After checking out the Central Garden area, we hopped in our car and continued driving through the park. There’s a small pull-off on Juniper Way Loop which only has space for 3-4 cars, but it’s worth stopping if there’s space because of the vantage point.
High Point Overlook
Shae, Truffles and I then made our way on to High Point Overlook. This has a much larger parking area, so you should have less trouble finding somewhere to park here. Unfortunately for us the scenery was spoiled by some drunk and obnoxious people celebrating graduation, so we didn’t stay long at this particular spot.
Balanced Rock
Our final stop at Garden of the Gods was Balanced Rock – its name is fairly self-explanatory.
Balanced Rock is on one side of the road, with a different rock formation called Steamboat Rock on the other side.
Final Thoughts
I’m so glad that we made it back to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs because the park was far more beautiful than I remembered. It’s also right next to the cute town of Manitou Springs which we’ve visited in the past, but is somewhere else we’d like to revisit when we come back to Colorado later on in our road trip.
Leslie says
Thanks for the great pics and Hiking trail Suggestions. My husband and I are making our way (slowly) to Colorado Springs And your info will be quite helpful! Looking forward to checking out other states you have visited that we will be visiting.
stephen says
Great, we hope you enjoy your time there 🙂
Lily Fetterer says
Can you explain to me how to see the sleeping giant?? I still cannot see it 🙁
stephen says
To be honest, I don’t see it either! It might be that the formation needs to be viewed from a different angle to be able to see why it was given that name.
Lily Fetterer says
I think you’re right. There is another location where you can see what looks like a face.