Garden of the Gods is our top “must visit” suggestion in Colorado Springs. The park is full of colorful, spectacular formations created by the erosion of the sedimentary rock by wind and water after the ground faulted, and raised the layered strata into the air.

These rocks are some 60 to 70 million years old. They were tilted toward the sky during the Cretaceous period, soon after the dinosaurs become extinct. (Although one of the park museum’s exhibits includes a cast of a dinosaur’s skull that was found in the park.)

Admission is free, and you can hike, walk, bike or horseback ride on trails threading the park. There are 15 miles of trails threading the park. We often take out-of-town guests on the gentle one-mile Siamese Trail because you get a spectacular view of Pikes Peak framed by the twins. Be sure to look up high on some of the pinnacles for rock climbers.

Weather permitting, there are free guided nature walks at 10am and 2pm.If you want to see the most popular sites without a lot of walking, take a segway, jeep or van tours. You find details on the Garden of the Gods website.

The Visitor and Nature Center, located near the park entrance, has exhibits of Native American culture, plants, minerals and wild life and provides free nature presentations. The Balanced Rock Café is where you can try a Buffalo Burger or Elk Bratwurst.

---

See and save more places to create your own itinerary or modify a Bindu itinerary.

• 
  Photo by Max
• 
  Photo by Jeff Kramer
• 
  Photo by Tim (Timothy) Pearce