Colorado,  Family Travel,  West

Garden of the Gods: Natural Grandeur

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We woke up early, fixed some breakfast at our Airbnb and headed out the door for a full day of exploring the Colorado Springs area. Our first stop was the Garden of the Gods. When we first arrived it was pretty cloudy and overcast. As the morning went on, the sun started to come out, but our pictures almost look like we visited on two different days. Some pictures have cloudy backgrounds and some look bright and sunny.

I would recommend starting your day at the visitors center where you can get an overview of the history of the park as well as a wealth of information about what you might see and discover as you walk around outside.

Charles Elliott Perkins, head of the Burlington Railroad, owned 480 acres which he never built on. He wanted the public to be able to enjoy the land, and when he died in 1907, his children transferred possession of the land to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909. It is now known as the “Garden of the Gods.”

The visitors center was very well done with lots of hands-on activities for the kids to utilize. Some of the exhibits included interactive touch screens, rocks to feel, and animal tracks to put your hands in. Hadassah was mesmerized by the large wall of stuffed wildlife. There were also sections about geology, Native American history, buffalo, and a ‘then and now’ exhibit. They also have a theater, but we didn’t have time to explore that.

On the backside of the visitors center there’s a great picture spot. There’s a sign that says “Garden of the Gods” and has the date of your visit. The scenery behind is absolutely beautiful – not something we see every day in Kentucky.

We left the visitor center and tried to join the daily ranger talk, but unfortunately we were told it was canceled that day. So we loaded up into the van and drove to another part of the park where we could get out and walk around and explore the stunning rock formations.

The top of this picture shows the “Kissing camels” formation.

The kids loved getting to climb on the rocks and squeeze into tight spaces. I was trying not to let my claustrophobia ruin their fun! We saw a deer while we were there, but that was the only sign of the wildlife we encountered.

The top of this formation resembles a lion.

We took another short drive to Balanced Rock, where we stopped again to get out and take pictures and enjoy the view.

The drive in and out of the park was very scenic. We saw some groups doing Jeep tours, which would be a really fun way to explore the park. There are 21 miles of trails throughout the park, and you could easily spend a few days exploring them all.

For another look at our visit to Garden of the Gods, check out our YouTube video below. You can also read about Day 1 of this trip and our visit to the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater and Casa Bonita. Continue reading about our trip and our next stop on Day 2, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.

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