Garden Of The Gods

I’ve travelled this incredible country of ours quite a bit in my lifetime and I realize that there are some places that stand out beyond description. Places that are truly unique and beautiful. Garden of the Gods is such a place with it’s sublime and beautiful mountain scenery and walking paths that weave their way around formations with names like Sleeping Giant, Cathedral Rock and Kissing Camels.

The first time I saw Garden of the Gods I knew that the park was appropriately named. This is one place where rising early for sunrise pays off, as the formations turn a brilliant gold. White and red sandstone sentinels, jutting up into a crystal clear blue azure sky, shielded by the 14,000 foot high Pikes Peak.

The hiking below the bluffs is easy and quiet through the hardwood trees dotted with moss-covered, sculpted sandstone. Of the many canyons of the Wilderness, Rock Branch Hollow, which runs from the northern boundary south to the middle of the area, is one of the most beautiful. Overnight parking is available in the recreation area. Permits are not required for trail use or camping.

Garden of the Gods is a landscape photographer's dream. With the sandstone rocks lit by the early-morning sun and towering Pikes Peak in the background, you'll find plenty to fill your viewfinder.