Garden of the Gods

The Garden of the Gods is one of the places you will like to see when you stay near Pikes Peak. Here, you will be able to run and hike miles and miles of trails. This attraction consists of 1,341.3 acres where you can gleefully get lost. You will be able to see various rock formations, such as Kissing Camels and Balanced Rock. Read more on the Central Garden Area Map. When you get the munchies, you can visit the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. This was built by one Charles Strausenback back in the early 1900s. You can see in advance before you plan your trip: go to About Garden of the God on PikesPeak.com. If you are adventurous, and you have the right equipment, you can have a blast climbing the various rock formations. In addition to the said Trading Post, you can visit the Visitor and Nature Center. If you have wondered about that name, Garden of the Gods, a historical marker sign, situated along one of the many park trails reads:

In 1859, at the very beginning of the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush, two surveyors rode their horses south from Denver to look for a suitable location for a New supply town to meet the needs of prospectors and miners. When they reached the eastern foothills of Pikes Peak, they came upon red rock spires and cliffs that framed the towering mountain. To Malancthon Beach, the view conjured up an image of an elaborate European beer garden and exclaimed, “This would be a Capital place for a beer garden!” Young, poetic Rufus Cable replied, ‘A beer garden indeed, this is a place fit for the gods to assemble! We shall call it the Garden of the Gods.”

Garden of the Gods trails