Garden Of The Gods Pikes Peak Colorado

A comprehensive guide to the popular climbing areas near Colorado Springs.

Get your Rocky Mountain high on with creepy tales of demon dogs, pioneer phantoms, and Old West wraiths. Eerie tales have been part of the city’s history from the beginning: Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain are the subjects of several spooky Native American legends, and Anasazi spirits are still seen at the ancient cliff dwellings outside town. In the Old North End neighborhood, the howls of hellhounds ring through the night, and visitors at the Cheyenne Canon Inn have spotted the spirit of Alex Riddle on the grounds for over a century. Henry Harkin has haunted Dead Mans’ Canyon since his gruesome murder in 1863, and Poor Bessie Bouton is said to linger on Cutler Mountain, hovering where her body was discovered more than a century ago. Ghost hunter and tour guide Stephanie Waters explores the stories behind “Little London’s” oldest and scariest tales. Includes photos!

Different seasons in Garden of the Gods - Colorado.

Since prehistoric times, the Garden of the Gods has been a source of fascination. This geologic formation in Colorado Springs was a seasonal camping site and source of spiritual significance for Ute Indians. Later, scientists studied the formation and found evidence of dinosaurs, prehistoric cultures, and unusual biological associations. Artists, writers, and photographers have been inspired by the beauty of this geologic wonder, and tourists and entrepreneurs once left their marks on the rocks. Through the efforts of Gen. William Jackson Palmer and Charles Elliot Perkins, the park became a reality and was given to the city of Colorado Springs. Today, the Garden of the Gods draws 1.7 million visitors per year, who bicycle, run, ride horses, enjoy hiking, go rock climbing, and savor the natural beauty of the park.

Thousands of years before Zebulon Pike's name became attached to this famous mountain, Pikes Peak was home to indigenous people. These First Nations left no written record of their sojourn here, but what they did leave were stone circles, carefully crafted arrowheads and stone tools, enigmatic petroglyphs, and culturally scarred trees. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers documented their locations, language, and numbers. In the 1800s, mountain men and official explorers such as Pike, Fremont, and Long also wrote about these First Nations. Comanche, Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Lakota made incursions into the region. These nations contested Ute land possession, harvested the abundant wildlife, and paid homage to the powerful spirits at Garden of the Gods and Manitou Springs. Today Ute Indians return to Garden of the Gods and to Pikes Peak each year to perform their sacred Sundance Ceremony.

Join photographer Judith Kimbrell on an entertaining and educational A to Z journey through Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, CO. Learn about the many interesting aspects of Garden of the Gods park including; the history, geology, climate, animals, landmarks... and much more.