The Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak

Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs at the foot of Pikes Peak.

The impressive geologic features of the park are the ancient sedimentary beds of red and white sandstones and limestone that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically and faulted by the immense mountain building forces caused by the uplift of Pikes Peak.

The impressive Garden of the Gods Trading Post has been around since 1900 and has some amazing gifts, like the hand-carved wolf sling shot my son tried out many times on our visit. I got a beautiful necklace for myself here as well.

Little Man with the Balancing Rock formation can be seen here.

Evidence of past ages, ancient seas, eroded remains of ancestral mountain ranges, sandy beaches and great sand dune fields can be read in the rocks.

The name Colorado is said to come from the color of the sandstone- from the Spanish word meaning reddish or ruddy. There are many fossils to be seen including marine forms, plant fossils, and some dinosaur fossils. There were also stern warnings about rattlesnakes that I did not see or we would not have these awesome pictures.

Some of the most amazing natural beauty I have ever seen was in the Garden of the Gods.

It is said that surveyors who were developing the area in the late 1800's saw the view and proclaimed it worthy of a beer garden. One surveyor said it was more of a garden fit for gods than beer.....and the name stuck....

but no beer garden.