URBAN ESCAPES

Garden of the Gods a Prehistoric Walk on the City Fringe

By Tonya Poole, 4-15-06

The southwest is no stranger to red rock – Moab and Sedona, especially, have crafted tourism sub-industries out of the stuff. But when clusters of it poke up solo out of alpine foothills on the edges of a semi-urban landscape? I needed to go have a look.

Many a first-time visitor has mistaken the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs for a state or national park, after all, it tends to evoke a similar awe and fragility found in many of the incredible landscapes that our state and federal agencies seek to protect. But despite its natural grandeur it remains a city park, free to the public, donated by the family of land owner Charles Perkins on the condition that it forever remain exactly that. And for just shy of 100 years since its dedication, it has.

A caveat: whisper words of eras, epochs, periods, uplift and alluviation in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere. So when it comes to good rocks, I can forgive a lot of things that might otherwise ruin an experience for me. That said, I was a little disappointed at the level of wild that regular maintenance and protection has sucked out of the park, with a very deliberate network of pristine, concrete walkways and the no-choice-but-for-tour-style navigation visitors must endure in order to check out the park's geology.

I understand the need to keep wanderers off and away from delicate areas, and to provide for guidance along established paths – especially when rehabilitated areas are involved – but I did feel a little bit like I was in a bubble on a conveyor belt as we moved through the park. I think I would've been more at home and felt more connected with the park had those paths been groomed dirt rather than sparkling concrete. It's redeeming qualities, though, were many – including stone benches and quiet grottos for reading, plenty of reference sites and, of course, the incredible contrast of the juxtaposition of the red rocks and still-snow-packed Pike's Peak in the backdrop. The views couldn't have been more striking if the city had carefully placed those rocks themselves.

Supernatural and almost moon-like, high-rise boulders and knife-edged slabs bolt up like sculptures from the desert floor in a small concentration of out-of-place earth born from geologic changes and erosion that carved the Rockies we know today. Since the gold rush, the rocks have been the subject of much lore, and many of them were given whimsical names like the Kissing Camels, the Bear and the Seal, and the Siamese Twins.

While no definitive connection has been made to their spiritual significance to Native American tribes, the rocks once served as campgrounds and meeting places to mountain and nomadic plains tribes as early as 3,000 years ago, and extending up through the late 1800s.

Preservation props aside, the Garden of the Gods is rich in history, geology, archeology and certainly wonder, all of which can be indulged in both the park itself and the nearby visitor's center. The park is located along the far western edge of Colorado Springs, and climbing is allowed in designated areas. For more information, visit www.gardenofgods.com.

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