Yeah, it was really warm downhills but just look at these mountain ridges on the back... still covered with tons of snow...
What do you imagine when you think about the Garden of the Gods?
Right, red Morrison Formation rocks... but in fact not all rocks there
are red ;) And, honestly, this gray one looked impressive too!
But... the bright red rocks are definitely what people are looking at when there. And... they are gorgeous!
The garden's red rock formations were created during a geological
upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago.
Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric people visited Garden of
the Gods about 1330 BC. At about 250 BC, Native American people camped
in the park; they are believed to have been attracted to wildlife and
plant life in the area and used overhangs created by the rocks for
shelter. Many native peoples have reported a connection to Garden of the
Gods, including Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota, Pawnee,
Shoshone, and Ute people.
In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins, a friend of William Jackson
Palmer, purchased 480 acres of land that included a portion of the
present Garden of the Gods. Upon Perkins' death, his family gave the
land to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909, with the provision that it
would be a free public park. Palmer had owned the Rock Ledge Ranch and
upon his death it was donated to the city.
The outstanding geologic features of the park, including Steamboat
Rock, the Three Graces, and Balanced Rock, are the ancient sedimentary
beds of deep-red, pink and white sandstones, conglomerates and limestone
that were deposited horizontally, but have now been tilted vertically
and faulted into "fins" by the immense mountain building forces caused
by the uplift of the Rocky Mountains and the Pikes Peak massif. The
following Pleistocene Ice Age resulted in erosion and glaciation of the
rock, creating the present rock formations. Evidence of past ages can be
read in the rocks: ancient seas, eroded remains of ancestral mountain
ranges, alluvial fans, sandy beaches and great sand dune fields.
The Garden of the Gods Park is popular for hiking, technical rock
climbing, road and mountain biking and horseback riding. It attracts
more than two million visitors a year, making it the city's most visited
park. There are 21 miles of trails.
The main trail in the park, the 1.5-mile Perkins Central Garden
Trail, is paved and wheelchair-accessible, running "through the heart of
the park's largest and most scenic red rocks". The trail begins at the
North Parking lot, the main parking lot off of Juniper Way Loop.
On the way back from the park don't forget to stop at the outskirts
of Manitou Springs and where you can find some nice houses and
beautiful views...
Click here if you want to visit Manitou Springs proper - Escape from the big city...
Source for information above - WikiPedia.
Pictures were taken on March 22, 2009.
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