This was a wonderful place to visit. I went during a break in a military training exercise from nearby Fort Carson. The trip there was great as we were able to see Pike's Peak on the way, and it was beautiful! Upon arrival at Garden of the Gods, expect to do some walking around to get a full view of the magnificent formations. We didn't see any climbers, but I've been told that on some days you can see people climbing some of these formations. This is a hiker's paradise, but be aware of dangerous terrain as there are large dropoffs and steep elevation. Keep a close eye on your kids. If you do this, and enjoy the beauties of nature, this is a great place to visit.

I thought the Garden of the Gods to be just okay. They were just rock formations, and the vistas weren't all that great. I felt like I wasted time there that I could have spent at Pikes Peak (which I ended up not having enough time to do). The roads are also very confusing and if you miss a parking lot where you thought a good picture would be taken, too bad. You'll have to drive on that particular one-way road again. It's just confusing and not worth the time to figure out.

On a recent trip to Manitou Springs, CO we decided to hike around the Garden of the Gods. Given the amount of info on the website we were expecting a much bigger park that was located away from the city. It is actually quite small and surrounded by a residential neighborhood. We hiked around the entire thing in about an hour and a half.

While you can't really get lost, we found the trail system and maps are a little confusing. The names of the trails would change for no reason and there are numerous spurs coming in and out of the surrounding neighborhoods. It seems like most people prefered to walk on the road.

We did see a small rattlesnake on the trail so that was pretty cool. And, the fact that it is free when everything else in that area cost something is very nice. If you are going to be in the area then it is worth a stop but if you are looking for really cool red rock formations go to Southeastern Utah.

Very nice. There are definately better sites in the area, but this is defaintely a good place to stop by. If you like the formations of the great outdoors, this is a place to stop.