Outdoors · Westside
Garden of the Gods central garden walk
A mostly paved loop through the red sandstone formations on the west side — the easiest way in Colorado Springs to feel like you left the city without driving out of it.
The central garden trail is wide, largely paved and gently graded, which makes it one of the few places in town where a first-time visitor, a stroller and someone recovering from an injury can all do the same walk.
Go early. Parking near the main formations fills quickly on weekends and in summer, and the light on the rock is better before mid-morning anyway. Later in the day, the loops from the visitor center side are usually quieter.
Treat it as a 45-minute reset rather than a hike: walk the loop, sit for ten minutes somewhere with a view of the fins, then leave before it turns into an errand.