This is an urban park right in Colorado springs. It’s considered to be a national natural landmark and the property it’s on was once privately owned by Charles Elliot Perkins. On his death in 1909, it was donated to the city by his children in fulfillment of his his wishes. He only had a few conditions:
!. Entrance was to remain free to all
2. No alcohol could ever be sold on the property
3. The name had to be Garden of the Gods.
The draw is of course the giant red rocks that just seem to jut out of the ground for no apparent reason. And the view of the surrounding mountains, including snow covered Pikes Peak from the visitor center is of course stunning.
You can drive around the park and stop at each of the formations to get pics and climb around them but we opted to hike. Parked at the far end near the Siamese Twins rocks and spent a few hours hiking 6 miles around the park. It started of as a beautiful clear day but by mid afternoon, it got stormy again. Timed our visit just right!