Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is one of the most beloved and visited natural landmarks in Colorado, a stunning public park in Colorado Springs where dramatic towering fins, spires and balanced formations of brilliant red sandstone rise abruptly from the landscape against the majestic backdrop of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak. A registered National Natural Landmark, the park’s soaring red rocks — sculpted by uplift and erosion over millions of years — create a breathtaking and otherworldly scene at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

Remarkably, Garden of the Gods is a free city park, given to the people of Colorado Springs in 1909 with the stipulation that it remain forever free and open to all. Visitors walk the paved and natural trails among the great red formations — with names like the Kissing Camels, the Three Graces and Balanced Rock — drive the scenic loop, rock climb the spires (with a permit), and take in the contrast of red rock, green pinyon and the snow-capped peak beyond. With its spectacular geology, its Pikes Peak backdrop and its free, welcoming access, Garden of the Gods is a treasured natural icon of the Colorado Front Range.

Garden of the Gods offers accessible, scenic recreation — walking the paved and natural trails among the towering red sandstone formations (including the easy, paved Perkins Central Garden Trail), driving the scenic loop road, rock climbing the spires (with a free permit, for the experienced), mountain biking and horseback riding on designated trails, photography of the red rocks against Pikes Peak, and exploring the visitor and nature center. Sightseeing, hiking, photography and climbing are the draws. The combination of the spectacular free-access red-rock formations, the Pikes Peak backdrop and the easy trails makes the park a beloved destination in Colorado Springs.

Spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather for walking the trails and the best light, while the red formations are stunning year-round, especially glowing at sunrise and sunset against Pikes Peak. Summer is the busy peak (and warm, though the elevation moderates it), and winter brings the dramatic sight of red rocks dusted with snow beneath the snow-capped peak. Sunrise and sunset set the red rock ablaze, the best times for photography. The park rewards visits anytime; spring and fall are ideal for comfortable exploring, and the early and late hours are quieter and most beautiful.

Garden of the Gods has drawn people for thousands of years — Native peoples, including the Ute, knew and revered the red-rock formations. In the 19th century the striking rocks earned their grand name. The land was acquired by railroad magnate Charles Elliott Perkins, whose children, honoring his wishes, gave it to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909 with the condition that it remain forever a free public park open to all — a gift that has preserved the spectacular formations for generations. A National Natural Landmark, Garden of the Gods remains a beloved free park and a treasured landmark of the Front Range.

Garden of the Gods’ dramatic red sandstone fins and spires were created by the same forces that built the Rocky Mountains: as the mountains rose, ancient horizontal layers of sedimentary rock were tilted upward, in places to vertical, and over millions of years erosion wore away the softer rock, leaving the harder, iron-rich red and white sandstone standing as the great fins, spires and balanced formations seen today. The vivid red comes from iron oxide in the rock. The tilted, eroded sedimentary layers, exposed at the foot of the mountains, created the park’s spectacular and otherworldly red-rock geology, a National Natural Landmark.

The red-rock formations, pinyon-juniper woodlands and grasslands of Garden of the Gods host mule deer, foxes, and a rich community of birds, including the white-throated swifts and swallows that nest in the cliffs, raptors that soar around the spires, and varied songbirds, while the rocks shelter reptiles and the woodlands diverse wildlife. The meeting of red rock, woodland and grassland at the foot of the mountains supports varied Front Range wildlife. The park is a pleasant place for wildlife watching and birding amid its spectacular formations, with the cliff-nesting birds and soaring raptors notable features.

Garden of the Gods protects a transitional ecosystem at the foot of the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs, where the red-rock formations, pinyon-juniper woodlands, mountain shrublands and grasslands meet, supporting diverse plant and animal life adapted to the dry, sunny Front Range foothills. The varied habitats around the formations, and the meeting of plains and mountain environments, add ecological richness. Protecting the formations, the woodlands and the grasslands sustains both the ecology and the spectacular scenery of this beloved free park, a valued natural area and green space within the growing city of Colorado Springs.

Garden of the Gods, with its spectacular red-rock formations against the backdrop of Pikes Peak, holds a beloved place in Colorado as one of the most visited and cherished natural landmarks in the state, made all the more special by its status as a free public park, given to the people forever. Revered by Native peoples, immortalized in countless photographs, and enjoyed by millions, the park embodies the dramatic beauty of the Front Range and a spirit of generous public access. Garden of the Gods is a treasured natural and civic icon of Colorado Springs and the Colorado Front Range.

Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs, Colorado, off US-24 and 30th Street, at the foot of the mountains near Pikes Peak, about 70 miles south of Denver. The park, owned and operated by the City of Colorado Springs, is free to enter and open to all. It offers a visitor and nature center, the scenic loop drive, paved and natural trails (including the accessible Central Garden Trail), climbing access (with a free permit), and picnic areas. The park is very popular; parking fills at peak times. Check the City of Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods) for hours, the visitor center and conditions before visiting.

The City of Colorado Springs protects the red-rock formations, the woodlands and the wildlife of Garden of the Gods, managing the heavily visited free park to balance access with preservation. Visitors help by staying on designated trails (off-trail travel erodes the soil and damages vegetation around the fragile formations), not climbing on the rocks without a permit, respecting the cliff-nesting birds and wildlife, packing out everything, not defacing or marking the rock, and following park rules. Protecting the formations, the woodlands and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the spectacular scenery of this beloved free park for future generations.

At Garden of the Gods, stay on the trails and do not climb on the rock formations without a permit and proper equipment — the sandstone is steep and can crumble, and unroped scrambling has caused serious falls and deaths. Keep back from edges and steep drop-offs, supervise children closely, and watch footing on the trails. The Colorado sun and elevation are strong; carry water and sun protection. Afternoon thunderstorms can bring lightning; seek shelter. Be mindful of traffic on the busy loop road, and respect the fragile rock, the heights and the strong sun.

The park is free and open to all (a gift to remain forever free). Stay on designated trails; do not climb on the formations without a free technical-climbing permit and proper equipment. Do not deface, mark or damage the rock. Respect cliff-nesting birds and wildlife. Bikes and horses are allowed on designated trails. Pets must be leashed. Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Follow park hours and the one-way loop road. Check the City of Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods) for current rules and conditions before visiting.

The city of Colorado Springs, with the iconic Pikes Peak (reached by highway or cog railway), Manitou Springs, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Front Range foothills, surrounds the park, with Denver about 70 miles north. The Pikes Peak region and the Front Range define the area. Garden of the Gods anchors a beloved scenic region at the foot of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, a centerpiece of a Pikes Peak region visit, combining spectacular free-access geology with the broader attractions of the Front Range.

Walk the easy, paved Central Garden Trail among the towering red formations for the classic experience — free to all — and come at sunrise or sunset, when the red rock glows against Pikes Peak for the best light and photography. Drive the scenic loop, explore the natural trails, and watch for cliff-nesting swifts and soaring raptors. Stay on the trails and off the rocks (climbing requires a free permit), carry water and sun protection for the strong sun and elevation, arrive early at busy times for parking, and start at the visitor center.