Right outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado is the beautiful and very accessible Garden of the Gods Natural Landmark. The park has a lovely drive with spots to park where you can admire the sandstone, mountains, & wildlife. Or you can hike some of the 21 miles of trails the park offers. There’s also the famous balanced rock which you can climb around right off the road. If you’re passing through the area, Garden of the Gods is a must visit for all ages.

The Visitor Center and gift shop is also a huge treat with tons of taxidermy animals, information about the landscape and the people that explored it, an exhibit on dinosaurs, and a fantastic view of Pike’s Peak! The only problem with the Visitor Center is that they don’t offer maps. You’ll need to either take a picture of the map they display with your smart phone or use the QR code to pull up the map on your smart phone… Neither are ideal.

Within the park is the beautifully constructed pueblo style Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Inside the Trading Post is a grill with some Bison burgers and wraps and a Coffee Shop. They make everything in-house. There are plenty of spots to sit outside and eat. Again, if you’re passing through the area while driving on 25 and you need a spot of lunch, the park and the Trading Post are a great idea.

When my wife and I visited, we were treated to a small herd of Bighorn Sheep grazing along the side of a hill. It was quite exciting.