A Guide to The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Garden of the Gods is one of Colorado’s most popular places to visit for many good reasons. Maybe you have seen these iconic orange spires on a postcard, social media, or on any “places to visit in Colorado” guide. These structures are not only stunningly beautiful; they are also very accessible!

Garden of the Gods is less than an hour and half from Denver and just minutes from downtown Colorado Springs. The park is on the national registry of historic places, which doesn’t make it a national park, but it is protected and well-respected. Plus, it’s free to enter!

It's FREE!!!

​I love that the park is free to enter, because it gets very busy on the weekend, and there have been times that I didn’t park and just drove around instead! The parking lots tend to fill up very fast, so I recommend getting to the park early in the morning or having lots of patience when looking for an open spot.

Just take a scenic drive around and enjoy the views!

​If it takes a few loops around to find a parking spot, don’t worry. One cool thing about the park is that you can see a lot of the highlights from inside your car! The rocks are visible for miles, so driving up close to them is awesome in itself. That being said, I highly recommend getting out and hiking around.

Go for a hike!

​No matter the age or ability, there is a suitable trail for exploring the formations. The Garden of the Gods Park has about 20 different trails ranging in length from a few hundred yards to 5 miles with connections for adding more mileage if you desire. A good majority of the trails closest to the the formations are paved, so they are very easy to navigate, and visitors are expected to stay on the trails. ​

Try out rock climbing.

Given this place’s popularity, I can understand why they ask you to stay on the pavement. With a permit, it is possible to go off the less-popular trails, and if you want a much closer experience, you can rock climb some of the formations! I have never done it, but you can read about the process online at The Garden of The Gods Website here: https://www.gardenofgods.com/things-to-do/things-1/rock-climbing

Take in ALL of the views, *hint* there's more than the red rocks!

​As beautiful as the formations are, my favorite place in the park is not near the main formations. My favorite location is an overlook down Ridge Road labeled  “P9” on the maps. I like it, because It is usually a little less crowded than the other parking lots, and the view of the Rocky Mountains are gorgeous! ​

It is a bit of hike down to the main structures from P9, so I usually drive to a different lot if I want to head into the heart of the park. The main parking lot and the few just past it provide the easiest access to the primary formations and have paved leading inside. No matter what parking lot you chose, the scenes are unbelievable.

Go horseback riding!

Another way to can see the perimeter of the park is by horseback! I went with one of my girlfriends back in 2019 with Academy Riding Stables. We took a 2 hour guided tour around the edge of the park and had ourselves quite an afternoon. Our guide taught us so much about the park, its original owners, the formations, and how they were created. It was such a unique way to see and visit the park!

You can see more from our fun ride in this YouTube video below!

No matter what way you choose to visit Garden of the Gods you can't go wrong. Take your take, and enjoy all the views you can handle.

I hope my guide helps you enjoy your time in Colorado Springs! Enjoy!

Check out my other Colorado Guides, here:
The Top 5 Places to Take Engagement Picture Across Colorado
My Favorite 3 Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
Where to Take Your Family On Spring Break