You're staying a few minutes from Garden of the Gods
Everything below is what I'd tell you in person if we had ten minutes before you set off. Skim it now, come back to it while you're here.
- The park
- Free, always. Open 5am to 10pm, every day.
- Best hours
- Early morning or the last two hours of light.
- Altitude
- About 6,000 feet. It will catch you out on day one.
- The Incline
- Needs a free reservation, booked in advance.
- Questions
- Email me — I answer these myself.
Garden of the Gods
When the land was handed to the city in 1909 it came with one condition: that it stay free to the public, forever. It still is. No gate, no ticket, no parking fee — which surprises most people, because it looks like somewhere that ought to charge.
The park opens at 5am and closes at 10pm. The Visitor & Nature Center at 1805 North 30th Street keeps shorter hours, 9am to 6pm, and is worth twenty minutes before you walk — free exhibits, and staff who will tell you what the rock actually is and how it got vertical.
The walk everyone means
The Perkins Central Garden Trail is a 1.1-mile paved loop through the middle of the formations. About twenty-five minutes at a normal pace, longer if you stop, and you should stop. It's flat and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
The main lots at the north end fill early and stay full through the afternoon. If you find yourself circling, drive on to lot P6 or P7 and walk in — it is faster than waiting for someone to leave, and the approach is better anyway.
If you want to earn the view
The Manitou Incline is roughly a mile of old railway ties going almost straight up. It is not a hike so much as a staircase with opinions, and it is the thing people come back talking about.
The Incline requires a free timed reservation and a signed waiver. Slots open up to eight weeks ahead and the good early-morning windows go first. Book it at coloradosprings.gov/manitouincline before you fly — people turn up without one and are turned away.
Your reservation is a thirty-minute arrival window, not a deadline. There's no time limit on the climb itself. Take the Barr Trail back down; descending the ties is how people hurt their knees.
The altitude is real
Colorado Springs sits around 6,000 feet, and the Incline tops out well above that. If you've come from sea level, the first day will feel strange in a way that's easy to mistake for being unfit or hungover.
- Drink more water than seems reasonable, starting the day you land.
- Go easy on day one. Save the Incline for day two or three.
- Alcohol hits noticeably harder up here.
- The sun is stronger than it feels, especially with a breeze. Sunscreen even when it's cool.
In summer, thunderstorms build over the mountains most afternoons and arrive quickly. Hike in the morning and you'll mostly miss them. If you're exposed on rock and hear thunder, head down — don't wait to see it.
Getting here
Colorado Springs Airport (COS) is the easy one — small, quiet, and close. Denver International (DEN) has far more flights and is usually cheaper, but budget around an hour and a quarter of driving south, longer in Friday traffic.
You'll want a car. The park, the trails and the towns worth eating in are spread out, and getting between them without one is more trouble than it's worth.
Eating and wandering
Two places nearby are worth an evening on foot rather than a single reservation:
- Manitou Springs — the old spa town at the foot of Pikes Peak. Mineral springs you can still drink from, a main street of restaurants and oddities, and the Incline at the top of town.
- Old Colorado City — a walkable historic strip closer in, with the better concentration of restaurants and coffee.
I've deliberately not listed specific restaurants here, because the ones I'd name change more often than this page does. Message me while you're here and I'll tell you where I'd go this week.
Before you arrive
- Book the Incline if you want it — eight weeks out is not too early.
- Pack layers. Mornings can be cold and afternoons warm on the same day.
- Bring shoes with grip. The rock is smooth in places.
- Start drinking water the day before you fly.
Anything at all
Check-in details and directions come to you by message before your stay. For anything else — arrival timing, recommendations, something not working — email me directly. I host these myself, so you're not writing to a management company.
Email about your stay