Bookending our vacation in Colorado, the Garden of the Gods is a fun venture that always amazes us.
Famed for its sedimentary rocks in ranges of deep red, pink, and white, representative of sandstone and limestone, the rocks of this 1300 acre park actually extend far beyond the boundaries.
Simply driving through Manitou Springs, which we have done so many times, yields many a sighting of interestingly shaped red rocks towering over trees and buildings.
Our First Afternoon
After our first afternoon at Whit’s End we came to the Garden of the Gods visitor center during a rain storm, to shop and look around the museum.
When the sun came out, we easily walked around the Perkins Central Trail which we hadn’t yet walked. These amazing formations we’ve seen only from afar. They had a new look from this perspective.
After a light hike we drove to a Victorian train station called Giuseppe’s Old Depot Restaurant which was bustling with guests.
Seeing the engine out front, we learned the tracks were still in use as several times trains came through. My son was in his element checkout out each one.
Our Last Morning
After packing for Texas, we left the hotel to purchase gasoline in Manitou Springs where those red rocks beckoned us.
With only a six-hour drive ahead of us to reach our hotel for the night in Canyon, Texas, and not wanting to leave Colorado…we could absolutely spend an hour or two at Garden of the Gods for one last hurrah.
The mountains in front of the red rocks are called the Front Range (as seen in the header), which are shorter than Pikes Peak, because they are not alpine.
At night at just the right time of the month or year, the moon shows through the window of the Kissing Camels.
