You can drive through this park, but why? If you can hike or get out at every pull over. My daughter and I had a fantastic time, saw some deer and different birds native to Colorado.
We took a lot of pictures and did a lot of climbing. The weather was gorgeous, very scenic blue skys with the occasional puffy white cloud. I do not think there is a bad time of year to go to Garden of the Gods.
Taking one of the ranger guided tours is worth it, visit the vistors station before you go into the park to get a map and some knowledge from the rangers.

Great fun to be had by all!

We spent a week in Manitou Springs & spent three days hiking the trails with our 6 year old. Our only complaint...we didn't see much wildlife beside a deer or rabbit which we can see in our own yard. The Nature Center has a board with the listings of the animals they had seen in the month of September, so we decided to take a hike on a trail that wasn't as popular as some of the others, then when we got into the brush we decided to turn back because we DID have our little girl with us & we were worried about rattlesnakes & we started thinking about how the board had listed a mother bear & her cubs + a mountain lion & her kittens & remembered that most animals become more protective around their babies & that is how I felt about mine. We however did catch a glimpse of mountain lion tracks & what they leave behind. My husband is a beginning photographer & wanted to get some great pictures of the Colorado wildlife & scenery but we didn't want to jeapordize the safety of our daughter. Coming from Kansas to such a beautiful state is amazing to say the least & we are planning an annual trip to visit Garden of the Gods.

This is a beautiful scenic spot in Colorado Springs. I am afraid of heights, but was still able to drive through the park and enjoy every inch of it! We took a 1 hour horseback ride through as well - it was a different perspective - not exciting, but I'm glad we did it. I would reccommend getting out of your car and walking one of the many well groomed paths through the park.

The good part about Garden of the Gods was that it is free to get in. The best way to really see the entire park is to walk thru it, but this will take all day to do. If you drive thru the park, you can finish very quickly and you may not see all the rock structures and formations. The red rock formations are really nice to see, but if you are not much into rock viewing, Garden of the Gods won't be much excitement for you. In addition, if it is hot outside, you can get discouraged very quickly and leave without see all the formations.
The best rock formation to see if the "Balancing Rock". It is fun to take pictures of this, especially when you have friends and family climbing all over this rock. The only rock formation we coudl not find was the "Siamese Twins". We circled the park three times via car and could not find it, so we gave up and left.

In general, this was a nice place, but definately not my favorite place in Colorado. Be prepared to carry water and food in your backpak as you hike thru this park.