Nothing like working out at the Garden of the Gods. Me having some fun with the Balanced Rock. Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Before we arrived, Gary told me that Colorado was a hiking paradise. He said that he loved walking through the Rockies and “bagging” 14,000 foot peaks. But, we didn’t get to experience the Rockies like he does. Because of inclement weather, we had to set our sights a bit lower (in elevation, only). So, we chose to hike the Garden of the Gods just outside of Colorado Springs. It turned out to be a great choice.
The Garden of the Gods is part of the same red rock formation that makes up Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The fact that these two venues are about sixty miles apart tells you just how big the formation is. Its large size opens up lots of possibilities for hiking through the boulders or (if you’re not afraid of heights) scaling these crimson behemoths. I didn’t have the equipment for climbing, but hiking sounded like a good alternative.
We started out at the Visitor’s Center. The difficulty we had in finding parking was an indication of how crowded the Center would be. It seemed like most of Colorado Springs was in the building. Fortunately, the wonderful docents manning the information desk did a magnificent job of answering everyone’s questions. We obtained a map and some suggestions about which trails to take. Then, we spent a few minutes looking at the exhibits that explained the park’s geology, history, and biological diversity.
The Visitor’s Center’s crowds became too much for us, so we headed outside in order to get into the park proper. While one can walk from the Visitor’s Center to the first outcroppings, it’s easier to drive to the parking lot that is to the north of these rocks. This parking lot is next to two of the largest formations in the park (North Gateway Rock and South Gateway Rock). It’s also the trailhead for the Perkins Central Garden Trail. Since this trail is described as an “easy 1.5 mile roundtrip” with “wheelchair and stroller access”, we figured it would be a great trail on which to warm up. It turned out that with the entire 1.5 miles is paved with concrete; it really wasn’t much of a hike…more like a stroll. However, the best formations are along this trail, so the hike turned into a geology lesson as we observed the shapes and striations in the rock. We even did a little climbing, which made us feel like true mountaineers.
Having sufficiently warmed up on that trail, we decided to tackle something a little more challenging. We got back in the car and drove to a parking lot across from the Three Graces rock. From here, we crossed the Juniper Way Loop and started off on the Scotsman/Buckskin Charlie Trail. This trail was much longer (about 4 miles) and not paved. It also contained several climbs and descents along the way. While it didn’t pass by many formations, the trail offered a close up view of some of the park’s diverse flora. Still, this trail proved a bit more difficult than I imagined. A good portion of it was paved with soft dirt (almost like sand) which made the walking a slight struggle. Additionally, the trail is also used by horses, so there were plenty of “surprises” to dodge. Still, it was a good trail to hike.
After about a half mile, we made it to Garden Drive. We could have continued on the Scotsman/Buckskin Charlie Trail. But, we instead decided to cross Garden Drive and take the Siamese Twins trail. In case you couldn’t guess, this half mile trail leads to the Siamese Twins formation. The interesting aspect to this formation is that the hole between the “twins” perfectly frames Pikes Peak. We took the obligatory pictures of this feature, and returned to the trail.
Once we finished the Siamese Twins trail, we got back on the Scotsman/Buckskin Charlie Trail. The most interesting part of finishing this trail was the panorama that it provided over the park. I was most interested to see houses that butted up against some of the red rocks. I thought that all of the formations would be insulated from development. But, the overlook proved my impression wrong.
It was starting to rain as we finished the Scotsman/Buckskin Charlie Trail. We got back in our car and drove to the last formation our docent told us to visit: the Balanced Rock/Steamboat Rock formation. These rocks are on either side of Garden Drive near the park’s west entrance. The Balanced Rock really does look like it’s precariously perched over the road. Dianne and I both took cheesy pictures depicting us holding up the rock.
After leaving the Balanced Rock/Steamboat Rock formation, we went to the park’s “trading post”. “Tourist trap” would be a better term for it. The store had just about every item that one could imagine (shirts, jackets, hats, cups, food, etc.) with the phrase “Garden of the Gods” or “Pikes Peak” slapped on it. We strolled the aisles, more than a little revolted by the tacky commercialism. But, our revulsion wasn’t enough to deter us from buying a lot of things at the store for the folks back home. Hey, we might have principles…but, we’re also practical.
The Garden of the Gods was a great place to enjoy many of the wonderful natural features that are present in central Colorado. That it was free to enjoy them just made the experience better. The City of Colorado Springs deserves a lot of credit for making the Garden of the Gods a fantastic city park for everyone to enjoy. I definitely look forward to returning there again.
August 17 Home