Exploring the American Wilderness and Other Adventures

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Day one of our move across the country taught us that my itinerary was more ambitious than Sam Dog and his anxiety would allow and that climbing the mountain passes with such a huge load was slow-going and stressful. According to my ambitious plan, day two was meant for us to go see another of Thomas Dambo‘s trolls, this one being Rita the Rock Planter, in Victor, Colorado. She is soooo cute! But, as mountain passes go, there is one non-negotiable way to get to her, which required a one-hour drive in the wrong direction for us. Considering we already knew we were driving slower than planned and would need to negotiate the rest of the trip, we had to make the sad decision to skip seeing her.

Plan B

We compromised in the best way and started day two by visiting Garden of the Gods. I was here a million years ago and it is exactly how I remember it. When I had transferred from being active duty in the Army to the Reserves, I volunteered a lot on the bases where we lived. Each year I was recognized by the base commander, and one year I was gifted an incredible trip to a resort near Colorado Springs. The best part was that the boys and I all got to go! The resort provided helpers for me, so I never was responsible on my own for keeping the boys happy and having fun – I had never had another experience like that all through their upbringing. We did things like backcountry horseback riding with real cowboys, Jeeping through the hidden mountain roads, touring Pike’s Peak, and of course seeing the Garden of the Gods. That was a lot of words to say I have really fond memories of this area and I am happy that if we had to change our plan, it landed us here.

Garden of the Gods is easily accessible from Colorado Springs. There is a ton of parking available near the entrance to the free park, as well as smaller parking lots (with bathrooms and maps) throughout. A one-way road circles the park, providing incredible views for those who cannot hike through the park.

Long before Garden of The Gods was a park, geological features began to form. It all begins in the Pleistocene Ice Age, which resulted in the erosion and glaciation of the rock, creating the present rock formations. The ancient sea remains of mountain ranges, alluvial fans, sandy beaches, and sand dune fields can all be found in the rock.

The outstanding geological features of the park are the highly visible sedimentary rock formations. These rocks were created as ancient mountains eroded and were buried in their own sediments. Massive sand dunes moved across the land, and shallow seas and deeper oceans encroached and retreated. 

Each environment left behind gravel, sand, and ocean deposits that formed horizontal layers over millions of years. The multiple formations were then uplifted and slowly brought to the surface by a series of mountain-building events.

https://gardenofgods.com/park-history/

In August of 1859, two surveyors started out from Denver City to begin a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. Surveyor M. S. Beach suggested that it would be a “capital place for a Biergarten” when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a “young and poetic man”, exclaimed, “Biergarten! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” It has been so-called ever since.

By the 1870s, the railroads had forged their way west, and in 1871, General William Jackson Palmer founded Colorado Springs. Later, in 1879, General Palmer repeatedly urged his friend, Charles Elliott Perkins, the head of “the Q” Railroad, to establish a home in the Garden of the Gods and to build his railroad out to Colorado Springs.

Although “the Q” never reached Colorado Springs, Perkins did purchase two-hundred and forty acres in the Garden of the Gods for a summer home. He later added to the property but never built on it, preferring to leave his wonderland in its natural state for the enjoyment of the public.

Perkins died in 1907, before he made arrangements for the land to become a public park. Although it had already been open to the public for years, it was his children’s decision that sealed the park’s fate. In 1909, Perkins’ children, knowing their father’s feeling for the Garden of the Gods, conveyed his four-hundred eighty acres to the City of Colorado Springs.

It would be known forever as the Garden of the Gods, “where it shall remain free to the public, where no intoxicating liquors shall be manufactured, sold, or dispensed, where no building or structure shall be erected except those necessary to properly care for, protect, and maintain the area as a public park.”

https://gardenofgods.com/park-history/

The 14,000’+ Pike’s Peak looms over the park and there are many places along the trail where the view of it is clear. Although much of the trail is built to be accessible, there are many miles of more rugged trails throughout. Barbarian Scientist said, “Of course you find the dirt paths. Of course you find the rocks we have to scramble.” And, “Wait, there is a parking lot at this spot?? We could have DRIVEN to this spot to see it?” Sometimes it is like he is new here.

These balanced rocks are so enormous that it looks like perhaps there really were gods here assembling these views. The temptation to climb them was strong. There actually are rock faces that permit climbing, but many of them do not.

Halfway There!

The rest of that day brought us to Kansas. Fort Riley, Kansas was where the boys and I lived the longest during our tumultuous years of being stationed for short periods of time wherever the Army decided their dad was needed. My first writing job was there. I think the best years of my first marriage were there, but I am sure it is mostly because he was deployed more than he was not. Barbarian Scientist and I stayed in Topeka, which is the home to the zoo the boys and I visited frequently during those years. We explored Lawrence, Kansas, which is the sweetest Midwest town. Driving through the Midwest was boring, but also a relief from what felt like the slowest, death-defying drive through the Rockies.

Back to the Future

I am still bummed that we missed Rita the Rock Planter. And now that Barbarian Scientist has seen a little of Colorado, he wants more. We have promised one another to return, but perhaps without long-haired guinea pigs, frogs, and anxious dog, and an overweight U-Haul trailer.

Would I stop again to see rock formations that are 300 million years old? Yes, every single time. I think we walked 5 miles that day? They were very easy miles and every step provided a brilliant view. But, walking zero miles is possible for pretty much the same views. So, go.