Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods
1805 N 30th Street (at Gateway Rd) * Manitou / Colorado Springs, Colorado * 719.634.6666 * http://www.gardenofgods.com/
Garden of the Gods, is a unique natural geological park that is located in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs … and is a Registered National Natural Landmark. It’s open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the summer and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the winter. The original family that donated the land to the public required that it would always remain free, and that is what it remains today. A great park for hiking, walking, bicycling, rock climbing, picnicking, special events, and weddings … Garden of the Gods has it all … and a unique tourist / information center, with a theater and gift shop. With 15 miles of trails ranging in various levels of difficulty from beginner to advanced, its a great place for hiking and exercise. A historical video greets you at the welcome center and tells the tale that began in the 1870′s when the railroads carved westward, when General William Jackson Palmer founded the city of Colorado Springs and upon discovering this natural beauty, urged his friend Charles Elliott Perkins, the head of Burlington Railroad, to make his home in the Garden of the Gods and finish his railway from Chicago to Colorado Springs. Even though he didn’t succeed with his rails to the Springs, he did make a summer home in 1879 by purchasing 480 acres, though he never built on it, leaving the land in its natural state and for the public. When he died in 1907, he made arrangements for the land to be a public park, and this was enacted by his children in 1909 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.” That is exactly what they’ve done …. and its a beautiful place to be. Rating 5 stars out of 5.
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
Garden of the Gods, April 19, 2009
What a wonderful write-up! I’m so delighted you thought to talk about it.