About an hour south of Denver, there were a number of sites I wanted to visit on this trip. The first of which was an area called Garden of the Gods, an formation similar to Red Rocks Park. A lavish visitors center offers terrific views of the formation, a movie discussing the formation, as well as trail maps. After departing the visitors center, I followed the trail under the highway and over to the spine-like red sandstone formation.
While Red Rocks is certainly stunning, I think this area is even more beautiful, due simply to the almost gravity defying formations. As I'm trying to fit a lot into the day, I settle on just a short hike that involves taking the Gateway Trail from the visitors center to the formation and then through the "gateway" to circle the inner area known as the Central Garden.
The trails are well maintained and in some places even paved, which is in some ways unfortunate. As I make my way through the crowds, I'm reminded of how oblivious some people can be to those around them. Some groups span the entire path without a thought to others want to pass by them. It seems that "touristy" areas like this are prone to the most thoughtless people. It's one of the reasons, I like getting out into more remote areas. Out in the backcountry, people are conditioned to be aware of their surroundings (less they fall off a cliff or trip over a mountain lion) and are normally much more courteous.
Either way though, I can't blame anyone for wanting to taking in the divinity of this place. While reading about this area prior to my trip, I remember someone mentioning what a great beer garden it would make and seeing as how my primary reason for this trip to Denver is beer-related, I can certainly relate. My hike was right at 1.8 miles and offered some stunning views.
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