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Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs. It contains red sandstone hogback formations, similar to the Red Rocks south of Denver. The name Colorado is said to come from the color of this sandstone.
The hogbacks are ridges of sandstone, whose layers are tilted. Instead of lying horizontally, some layers are even vertically oriented. Each hogback can range up to several hundred feet long, some as tall as 50 feet from ground level. Their shapes indeed resemble the backs and spines of a pig.
Entrance to the park is free. It contains numerous trails for hiking, walking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Many of the most popular trails are paved, in an effort to combat the rapant erosion of the park's land caused by its numerous visitors. |
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures. |
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A good overview photo taken right next to the road that goes around the park. |
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A more detailed photo of the rocks in the background of the previous shot. |
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The red rocks look even more impressive in the white winter environment. |
Rock Climbing
Because of the unusual and steep rock formations in the park, it is an attractive goal for rock climbers. Rock climbing is permitted, but because of the sometimes unstable condition of the sandstone—particularly after a great deal of precipitation—several fatalities have occurred over the years.
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Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site
Near the entrance to the park is Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, a recreation of rustic ranch of the late 1800s. The walking tour features a restored ranch house, demonstrations of smithing and facts about Native American activity in the area, including a small recreation of a Native American campsite. Unlike Garden of the Gods, Rock Ledge Ranch charges a small entrance fee.
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A photo of one of the bushes that are growing in the Garden of the Gods. The remaining leaves almost seem to glow. |
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The snow really started to pile up on the pine trees. |
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Another nice contrast photo. |
The Name
Many people assume the name comes from a native American name for the area. In fact, the name of the park only dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden". His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck.
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