BHN_COSprings-14

Start: Main parking lot at north end of Juniper Way Loop road

Distance: 2.6-mile loop

Hiking time: 1 to 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation gain: 200 feet

Trail surface: Singletrack dirt path and doubletrack paved trail

Seasons: Year-round

Schedule: Open daily; May 1 to Oct 31, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Nov 1 to Apr 30, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Other trail users: Equestrians on parts of the Scotsman Trail

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs only. Pick up your dog’s waste.

Land status: City of Colorado Springs park

Fees and permits: None; Colorado Springs city park rules apply

Maps: USGS Cascade. Trail map available at the visitor center.

Trail contact: Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, 1401 Recreation Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80905-1975; (719) 385-5940; www.springsgov.com

Finding the trailhead: From I-25, take exit 146 and drive west on Garden of the Gods Road until it dead-ends at 30th Street against the mountains. Turn left (south) on 30th Street and drive south to Gateway Road, opposite the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center. Turn right (west) on Gateway Road and follow it until it merges with Juniper Way Loop, a loop road that encircles the main Garden of the Gods zone. Turn right (north) on the one-way road and follow it to the large Main Parking Lot on the left (GPS: 38.881198, -104.880319). The trailhead is at the north side of the parking lot at a crosswalk (GPS: 38.88157, -104.880402).

Alternatively, approach from I-25 and downtown Colorado Springs by driving west on Cimarron Street / US 24 from I-25 to Ridge Road, a half mile past 31st Street. Exit right and follow Ridge Road north to a stop sign at Colorado Avenue. Cross Colorado Avenue (may be busy) and drive up a steep hill on Ridge Road to the Garden of the Gods. At the one-way Juniper Way Loop road, go right and drive to the Main Parking Lot on the north side of the park.

The Hike

This 2.6-mile hike loops around the perimeter of the Garden of the Gods, following parts of four different Garden trails—Palmer Trail, Scotsman Trail, Perkins Central Garden Trail, and Susan G. Bretag Trail. This is an interesting hike that offers great views of the soaring sandstone formations. The first hike section, following Palmer Trail, climbs onto wooded ridges west of North and South Gateway Rocks before dipping down to Scotsman Picnic Area. The next segment follows Scotsman Trail back to the central Garden zone, where it picks up the paved Perkins Central Garden Trail. The last part follows the Susan G. Bretag Trail north up a broad valley east of the rock formations and back to the parking lot and trailhead.

The trails are all singletrack except for the wide concrete sidewalk section. Expect spectacular scenery and a close-up intimate experience with the different rock formations as well as the transitional ecosystems found at the Garden of the Gods. Most of the trail is quiet with few other hikers, although the paved section through the main Garden zone is usually busy, especially on summer days when tourists jam the pavement. The trail also crosses the park roads four times. Use the designated crosswalks for safety.

Start the hike at the trailhead on the north side of the Main Parking Lot off Juniper Way Loop. Walk north across the road at a crosswalk to a trail junction. Go left on the Palmer Trail. The trail coming in from the right, the Susan G. Bretag Trail, is the return trail. The first trail segment on the Palmer Trail, named for General William Jackson Palmer, an early settler and the founder of Colorado Springs, runs 1.2 miles from the junction to the Scotsman Picnic Area southwest of the central Garden zone.

The Palmer Trail, paralleling the road, heads northwest through copses of Gambel oak before bending south. It slowly gains elevation and after 0.3 mile reaches a scenic overlook. Walk 75 feet southeast off the trail for the best view and a superb photo opportunity. All the main rock formations—North Gateway Rock, South Gateway Rock, Gray Rock, Keyhole Rock, Montezuma Ruins, and the Three Graces—tower to the south, their ragged outlines etched against the sky.

Past the overlook the trail turns west and contours across a steep shallow canyon before climbing onto east-facing slopes opposite North Gateway Rock, the park’s highest sandstone formation. The trail continues climbing through a piñon pine and juniper woodland until it reaches a high point and then descends to a shoulder. This is another great viewpoint. Note the Kissing Camels, a small arch perched atop North Gateway Rock on the left, and the Weeping Indian, the white-rock profile of an Indian face on South Gateway Rock. Hike south down the rocky trail and, after 0.8 mile from the trailhead, reach a trail junction. From here a short trail heads left to the central Garden zone. Stay straight on the main Palmer Trail. Ignore another side trail that jogs over to the road 100 feet farther down.

The Palmer Trail passes beneath the west face of the Giant Footprints, a couple of tilted slabs composed of 220-million-year-old Fountain Formation sandstone, then descends southwest parallel to the park road through scrub-oak groves for 0.4 mile. When the trail reaches the edge of the road at 1.2 miles, you’re opposite the Scotsman Picnic Area. Cross the road to a parking lot and walk over a bridge. A restroom, open in summer only, is to your left. Go right on Scotsman Trail.

Follow the Scotsman Trail northeast for 0.35 mile. The sandy trail, often used by horse strings from nearby stables, slowly climbs toward the Garden’s rock formations. At an obvious trail junction, keep left and hike up to Juniper Way Loop road. Cross the road just north of a small parking area and follow a wide trail into the central Garden zone.

The next half mile of trail follows parts of the paved Perkins Central Garden Trail, the most popular and most scenic trail at the Garden of the Gods. Hike north and then east on the paved path, passing north of the Three Graces and Montezuma Tower, both slender spires that are popular with rock climbers. At an obvious Y junction, go left (north) and hike to the Gateway, the huge gap between North and South Gateway Rocks. At the trail junction here below the dedication plaque, go right on a paved trail and walk 0.15 mile east to Juniper Way Loop.

The last trail segment follows the Susan G. Bretag Trail for 0.5 mile back to the trailhead and parking lot. Cross the road at a crosswalk and then turn north on the marked trail. Follow the wide trail north in a broad valley between white rock formations on the west and the Dakota Hogback to the east. The trail crosses an open meadow covered with grass and yucca.

After 0.3 mile it reaches a Y junction with the Dakota Trail. Keep left and follow the trail, which bends northwest. End at the start of the Palmer Trail. Cross the road back to the trailhead and parking lot. If you’re thirsty or need the facilities, a water fountain and restrooms are located on the southeast side of the parking lot.

After doing this hike check out the other Garden of the Gods hikes detailed here—all are scenic and worth your footsteps.

0.0	Start at trailhead on the north side of the Main Garden Parking Lot (GPS: 38.88157, -104.880402). Cross the road to a T junction. Go left (west) on Palmer Trail.
0.3	Scenic overlook on the left (GPS: 38.881298, -104.883461). Walk down from the trail for the best photos.
0.8	Trail junction with short trail to Garden zone on left (GPS: 38.877218, -104.884248). Go straight.
1.2	Reach road opposite Scotsman Picnic Area (GPS: 38.872343, -104.885498). Cross road to the left at a crosswalk, then cross bridge to Scotsman Trail and restrooms (GPS: 38.872161, -104.884861). Go right.
1.6	End Scotsman Trail at Juniper Way Loop (GPS: 38.87569, -104.88253). Cross road at a crosswalk to the central Garden zone. Go left and follow a trail straight to the paved Perkins Central Garden Trail.
2.1	End the Central Perkins Garden Trail section at Juniper Way Loop on the east side of the park (GPS: 38.877193, -104.878011). Cross the road to the Susan G. Bretag Trail. Go left (north) up a wide valley on the Bretag Trail.
2.6	End Susan G. Bretag Trail at junction with Palmer Trail. Go left across the road to the trailhead and parking lot.