Hiking and Nature with Angela: Garden of the Gods

Where: Garden of the Gods
Difficulty: Easy
Mileage: lots of short trails to choose from

I finally made the 1.75 hour trip down to Garden of the Gods, albeit, half the reason for the trip was for a visit to pick up a new camera lens at the only store that had it in stock. Maybe I have been avoiding it because of all the hype. BUT, I discovered that it definitely lives up to it's expectations. See below for proof of what makes a person question the wonder of life.

The view from the visitor center across the street from the park entrance.

The Entrance

What I was most excited for on this trip, was getting to see Pike's Peak for the first time. This mountain is a 14er, just like Longs Peak in my town. It has similar qualities, but I think everyone knows that Longs Peak is my mountain crush. The views of Pike's Peak were all from a distance and I can't wait to see it up close on a future summertime trip. Seeing Pike's Peak from within Garden of the Gods adds another whole dimension that is hard to rival. Also, a sunny and 50 degree day in January?

Despite all the red rocks in the park, I still love the classic mountain and tree pose.

The park has many short trails. I did just two that I most wanted to see for this time. Starting in the Central Garden, there was plenty to see from a paved trail. I walked the whole paved loop and then went back to meander on some unpaved side trails that I had passed. The upper loop was breathtaking and I'm glad I ventured back to explore it.

January 2019

When I'm hiking sometimes there is a rare moment of heightened gratitude in a particularly beautiful place when I look up and can hardly believe the place I've just stepped into. This was one of those places. Colorado, why are you so beautiful?

After exploring the most popular trail, I ventured to my next sights. The Siamese Twins.