Garden of the Gods can be explained in one word: majestic. Colorado is one of my favorite states to travel to and explore. At one time, I visited 3 times out of 4 years. Mostly spending time in Denver, Boulder, and Rocky Mountain National Park. I wanted to see more of the state and my research came across Garden of the Gods. I had to go. And, I immediately included it on my next trip. The park is filled with red rock formations, big and small, overlooking Pike’s Peak and the southern Front Range of the Rockies. It is one of those parks, you have to step your foot in and explore all its beauty. It is 100% percent worth planning your trip around visiting.

About Garden of the Gods

The stunning rock formations throughout the park were created during a geological disruption millions of years ago. The look of the rock you see today is due to subsequent erosion and glaciation. Adding to the park’s distinctiveness, it is also one of the only places in Colorado where you can find red sandstone and Pikes Peak granite together.

Garden of the Gods can be explored by foot, car, or biking with hiking trails and bike lanes throughout the park. There are some wheelchair accessible trails. There are 16 hiking trails that range from 0.25 miles to 6 miles. Most of the trails are relatively easy, but there are a few trails with rockier terrains. And, they connect pretty easily. Rock climbing is another popular activity here as well. There is truly something for everyone at the park.

The visitor center is across from the park itself and is worth a visit to speak to rangers, grab a map, and check out displays and history of the park.

Best of all, the park is FREE. The original owner of the park land, Charles Perkins, wanted to share the experience with everyone. After his passing, his family donated the park to the city to fulfill his wishes. The park is open from dawn until dusk. Check their website for specific hours for the time you are visiting.

How to Get to Garden of the gods

Garden of the Gods is located in Colorado Springs, CO. It is only about 5-10 minutes from the Interstate highway and close to downtown, hotels, shopping, and dining. Traveling from the popular city of Denver will only take just over an hour, which would also make for a great day trip visit. For most out of state explorers, flying into Denver is the best bet and then driving to the park. It is pretty easy to find using your gps.

When to Visit Garden of the gods

The beautiful rock formations and visuals of this park really make any time of the year a feasible time to visit. I went in early May and it was snowing! It was not as warm as expected but the snow made everything look pretty cool. As one would expect, the summer is the busiest time of the year. There is a decent amount of parking but I could see that being filled up by afternoon in the summer/fall time.

Hiking trails at the Garden of the Gods

There are many hiking trails in the Garden of the Gods. You can’t go wrong with the paths you choose. The park may seem small but you can spend an entire day hiking in the park. The trail system totals up to 15 miles. Here are some of the more popular hikes that offer great sights.

1) The Perkins Central Garden Trail is an easy, 1.5 mile round trip path with minimal elevation. This trail is in the heart of the Park at the base of the highest rock formations. This trail is right near the North Main Parking lot.

2) The Ridge Trail is a moderate, 1/2 mile loop with less than a 100 feet in elevation. This trail starts at South Garden Parking Lot and head towards the Sleeping Giant formation to hop on the trail.

3) The Siamese Twins Trail is an easy 1-mile round trip, with less than 150 feet in elevation. On a clear day, there is a fascinating view of Pikes Peak through the natural window of the Siamese Twins. This can be found near the southwest entrance of the park.

Garden of the Gods Siamese Twins — No views of Pike Peak on this day!

4) The Scotsman/Buckskin Charlie Trail are moderate trails located in the Central Valley of the park that loop through the park. There is a small parking lot to join the Scotsman Loop. It is best to start hiking from the main parking lot and connect to this trail. This area is more open and you can see distant views of the Central Garden formations.

5) The Palmer Trail is a rocky trail that runs along the north and west sides of the park from the North Main Parking Lot to the middle of the Siamese Twins hiking trail. On this trail, there will be more greenery to see and elevated views overlooking Gateway Rock. This is one of the longer hiking trails in the park.

6) Choose multiple trails and make your own hiking adventure. It is very easy to connect trails at the park. When I arrived at the park, I went to the visitor center, spoke with a ranger, and grabbed a map. The ranger said the most popular hike in the park to get as many views as possible was taking the 2.7 mile loop starting on the Palmer Trail behind the North Main Parking Lot. From here, you will reach the Siamese Twins Trail and explore this area. Then cross Juniper Way at the Scotsman Picnic Area and hop on the Scotsman Trail. This will lead to the Perkins Central Garden Trail to finish the loop up to the North Main Parking Lot. That is what I did on my visit and I was able to see all the popular rock formations. And, it was a fun and awesome experience exploring amidst all the rock formations.

Hiking Tips: Due the elevation, bring lots of water and keep hydrated to avoid any affects. On those sunny days, be sure to bring sunscreen as there is no shade here. Lastly, as you would expect, come early to visit the park or try the off-season.

Bonus: Post Hike Donuts

It’s called Hiking for Donuts, so it would be a disservice if I did not include a post hike donut shop to visit after the hike. Fortunately, there is a fantastic donut shop in Colorado Springs about 20 minutes from the park called Amy’s Donuts. No exaggeration, they had over 40 different flavors/topping to choose from, which is a very tough decision to make. Flavors from Butterfinger to Fluffer Nutter to Nutella Crumb to all the standard donuts. And, the jelly donuts are filled fresh to order! Great donut shop find.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

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Voodoo Donuts Denver, CO

The first stop off the plane was Voodoo Donuts. The popularity of this donut shop makes it a must try. Once you walk in, you see and feel how different this is than a standard donut shop. There is a hip and fun vibe going on. There’s a big selection of unique flavors and types of donuts. They are known for a raspberry filled donut shaped and decorated like a Voodoo Doll and their wittiness. The crazy options I chose were the Chuckles, chocolate frosting dipped in hot chocolate cocoa powder with peanuts and caramel and chocolate drizzle, and the ODB, chocolate frosting with Oreo cookies and peanut butter. In addition, I had to the get the Voodoo Doll, Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, and Maple Bar.

City Donuts, Denver, CO

City Donuts has a few locations spread out through Colorado near the Denver area. This was your standard old school donut shop. The customer service was fantastic. The person working went into detail on how their donuts were made and the history of the company. Appreciated it because it gave me time to decide what I wanted. Unfortunately, I was pretty full from breakfast but I settled on the Maple Glaze and Chocolate Frosted with sprinkles. Super fluffy and tasted homemade. Pretty big sized donut as well. And, they hooked me up with some free donut holes. The bag the donuts came in was a great touch.

Amy’s Donuts, Colorado Springs, CO

The stand out donut shop in Colorado Springs has to be Amy’s Donuts. This shop had my head on a swivel. Not even over exaggerating, there were over 50 different flavor combinations. To narrow it down was a tough task. They covered the basics but then went over the top with wild toppings and flavor combinations like Almond Banana Caramel, Butterfinger, and Maple Bacon Fudge. The final decision was the Maple Turtle, Reese’s Pieces, Nutella Crumb, Bizmallow Caramel, and S’mores. And, a Raspberry filled glazed bar to complete the spectrum of donuts. They will pipe in the jelly fresh when you order. Big fan of that. The verdict, the Maple Turtle was amazing as it sounds.

Montrose Donuts and Deli, Montrose, CO

The perfect hiking for donuts location. Located 15 minutes outside of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, you must visit Montrose Donuts and Deli. When I walked in, I was delighted to see all the options. They had bear claws, old fashion, cake, yeast, cinnamon bun, bow tie, cruller, French cruller, fritter, bars, and filled donuts along with muffins and more baked goods. And, a glazed buttermilk bar. What?!? I had to try this. Best donut of the trip. Tasted like a delicious and sugary glazed biscuit. Along with the glazed buttermilk bar, I also tried the chocolate cake sprinkle, bow tie glazed, blueberry glaze cake, cinnamon crumb, old fashion maple, and cinnamon crumb glaze fritter. The donuts were all pretty delicious. Highly recommend for your hiking for donut needs.

OMG Donuts, Arvada, CO

Located in a small plaza driving through Arvada, I found myself at OMG Donuts. This is another small business, old school shop cranking out the classics. Very friendly. I got there late afternoon and they still had some good options. I went with the Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, Maple Bar, Chocolate Frosted and Red Velvet. The red velvet cake stood out to me for some reason and that was the best decision I made. One of the best cake donuts I have EVER had. Wow, super moist and the flavor was on point. The chocolate cake was good also, super chocolaty almost like eating a chocolate cake. The yeast donuts were fluffy and light. This was a great donut shop find.

HIKING FOR DONUTS

Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every change I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.

If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.

SEE OTHER POSTS IN ARCHIVE