Along with the rock formations, there are also great views of Pikes Peak and the other nearby mountains.
The park gets its name from two surveyors, who visited the area in 1859. One of the surveyors, who clearly had his priorities in order, remarked that the area would be a "capital place for a beer garden." The other surveyor replied: "Beer garden! Why, it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." Which is a more poetic name but definitely not as much fun.
The rock formations are hundreds of millions of years old, and archaeological evidence suggests Native American peoples visited the area as long ago as the year 1330 BC. The Ute people would spend their winters living in the area that is now the park, and spend their summers around Pikes Peak (which they called Tavakiev). The Ute people consider the Garden of the Gods to be their sacred place of origin.
In 1909, the land was donated to the city of Colorado Springs on the condition that it be turned into a public park. Now there are over 21 miles of hiking trails, and the park is a popular spot to go mountain biking, horseback riding and rock climbing. Over two million people visit the park each year.
It was fairly crowded while we were there. Which wasn't all that surprising since it wasn't just a Saturday evening, it was also the Fourth of July.
And one last shot from the Garden of the Gods, taken while looking for the beer garden:
Due to the lack of rain and the extreme fire danger, the official Fourth of July fireworks shows were cancelled in Colorado Springs. There were signs up all across the city warning of the fire danger and saying that fireworks are illegal in the city. But that didn't seem to stop people, as it got dark the skies around us were filled with fireworks and explosions. The fireworks went on for hours, well past midnight. Luckily we managed to get the kids to sleep through most of it (thank goodness for Benadryl!).
No comments:
Post a Comment