Visiting the Garden of the Gods in winter is an absolute must. It’s a beautiful park year around and if you’re in Colorado (near Colorado Springs) between the months of November and April, then you’ll need to add this stop to your itinerary. The stunning, red rock formations, piercing the white snow covered ground and reaching towards the sky will take anyone’s breath away.
About Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods has always been a magical place. Evidence shows that numerous Native American groups traveled to this sacred location over the last 3000 years. It’s believed that many used the sandstone rock formations as shelter from the elements during the winter months. (You’ll see in our video that we followed their lead when the winds picked up)
In 1879, Charles Elliott Perkins, purchased 480 acres of land which now make up part of the park. He built his summer home on the land, however, he chose to leave the rest of the land in its natural state. He even decided that the land was too beautiful to keep to himself, so he allowed people to visit and hike the land at no cost. Thirty years later after Charles’s death his family donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs on one condition… it must always remain a free public park.
| Tip
Enjoy the amazing scenery and beautiful views of The Garden Of The Gods during this 2 Hour Sightseeing Tour. This tour will take you to Rainbow Falls, local castles, and then through Garden Of The Gods and downtown Manitou Springs.
How did the Garden of the Gods its name?
The story goes… Two surveyors were walking through the massive sandstone formations. As they were looking around in awe, one man said, “This would be a great place for a beer garden.” The other man looked at his friend with astonishment and said, “Beer Garden?! It’s a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We shall call it the Garden of the Gods.” As you know, the name stuck.
Admission to the Park
Garden of the Gods Park and Visitor Center are both free of admission. The city of Colorado Springs promised the Perkins family that admission into the Garden of the Gods would always remain free.
Visiting Hours
The Garden of the Gods is open year round, however it does have dedicated winter hours;
November 1st – April 30th; 5.00 am – 9.00 pm
How to get to Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs is the home of the Garden of the Gods and is a short drive from Denver. There is an airport in Colorado Springs, however, Denver is where you’ll most likely fly in, so if you rent a car, Garden of the Gods is about a 1 hour and 15 minute drive from the Denver airport.
I highly recommend that you do rent a car if flying into Denver. Mainly for convenience, because the airport is pretty far outside the city of Denver. Plus, with your own car you’ll get to explore so many more places, like the Garden of the Gods!
Rental Car Travel Tip*
Anytime we rent a car we use Discovercars.com, because it compares all the top rental car prices in the area and shows us the most affordable ones. We ended up finding a great price for a 4Runner 4×4, which we needed, because we also drove to a ski resort, while in Colorado. However, if you’re staying on the highways and not driving into the mountains, a car will be just fine, as you won’t need 4-wheel drive.
However, if you want to sit back and relax and let someone else do the driving, another option for visiting The Garden of The Gods is to take a tour from Denver.
Where to stay in Colorado Springs
After hiking through the Garden of the Gods we drove about 15 minutes into the downtown of Colorado Springs to eat dinner as we were told the food scene is very distinctive. We had dinner at Shuga’s and then went for a drink at the Rabbit hole. Both places were really great choices and offered a unique setting. The food at Shuga’s was mouth wateringly delicious, we had the Spicy Brazilian Coconut Shrimp Soup, fresh bruschetta, and the El Gaucho.
Afterwards we decided not to drive back to Denver so got a hotel for the evening. Colorado Springs is not a small town by any means. With a population of around 500,000 people it’s a decently sized city so it offers a multitude of places to stay.
Here are a few places that were referred to us:
- Cliff House at Pikes Peak
(free breakfast buffet and unique stay) - Hyatt Place Downtown Colorado Springs
(centrally located around some great restaurants and bars) - The Academy Hotel
(budget friendly, free breakfast)
Average Winter Temperatures In Garden Of The Gods
November: High 52°F, Low 25°F
December: High 46°F, Low 19°F
January: High 45°F, Low 18°F
February: High 46°F, Low 19°F
March: High 51°F, Low 25°F
April: High 58°F, Low 31°F
What To Wear In The Winter
It should go without saying, however, I recommend wearing multiple layers when visiting Garden of the Gods in winter. The wind wasn’t too strong when we were there, however, when it whips around those rocks, it can feel like it’s cutting through you. We both had thermals, a beanie, fleece, winter coat, and hiking boots.
Megan’s Outfit and Recommendations:
- Women’s Carhartt Beanie
- Women’s Columbia Winter Jacket
- Women’s Winter Ski Gloves
- Women’s Thermals Set (Top and Bottom)
- Merrell Hiking Boots
Andrew’s outfit and recommendations:
- Men’s Carhartt Beanie
- Men’s Winter Ski Gloves
- Men’s Thermal Top
- Men’s Thermal Bottom
- Men’s Northface Thermal Jacket
- Men’s Northface Apex Jacket
- Merrell Hiking Boots
Hiking boots are recommended, especially in the winter. We purchased Merrell hiking boots years ago for when we hiked the volcano, Mt Acatenango, in Guatemala. We’ve definitely gotten our investment back on these, because they haven’t worn down at all and have been through many adventures!
If you plan on hiking throughout the day, then I recommend packing a day pack.
Here’s what brought with us:
- Osprey 20L Daypack
- OOLA Organic Face Sunscreen 50 SPF (travel size)
- Long Lasting, Disposable Hand Warmers
- Reusable Water Bottle
- Snacks (protein bars)
So if you’re in Colorado during the Winter, then we definitely recommend visiting The Garden of the Gods. As mentioned above, just remember to dress warm and be prepared to witness a stunning landscape. Enjoy!
Have you visited Garden of the Gods?
If so, let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!
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3 Responses
great info!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and happy travels!
Great post