6 Mile Road Loop 6200 Elevation

Garden of the Gods is 1300 acres of huge sandstone formations and is one of the most spectacular city parks in the country and one of the most visited attraction in Colorado. This busy park is humming with cars, bicycles and hikers, and dotted with climbers. Bicycles are allowed on the roads and not the trails.

Garden of the Gods is on the west side of Colorado Springs and north of Route 24. The most common entrance is off of 30th Street : Get off of I-25 at Garden of Gods Road and drive west three miles to 30th Street, then go south to the visitor center and entrance near the huge rocks.

Drive into the park's 30th street entrance and then swing to the north around Gateway and you'll come to the main parking lot, a handy place to leave the car for a hike or bike ride. A hiking trail leading south goes through the Gateway gap and to the central rocky spire area. A paved path winds through the church sized spires, where you'll usually see climbers dotting the rocks.

Back at the car, pull out the bike and ride west and then south. This road goes around the back side of North Gateway and then skirts the west side of the spire area. After nearly a mile the road forks. Take the right fork (Garden Drive) and head toward Balanced Rock. The road curves downhill, past the road to the Trading Post and arrives shortly at Balanced Rock. This garage sized rock is balanced on a tire sized neck and, most remarkably, hasn't been knocked over by the persistent mob. Take a spin through the narrow gap in the cliff and then head back toward the car.

On the way back, the road immediately splits and you'll have to take the right fork past the old Trading Post, then a little later it merges back with Garden Drive. Nearly a mile later is that first fork at the spire area again. Make the hard right onto Juniper Way and zip up the hill. Up and to the left is the big Keyhole Window on Sleeping Giant rock. A little farther up the road is a fork to the right that goes to the park's high point. Go left instead and along the east side of Gray Rock. The parking lot on the right is access to the mountain biking area to the east. Ridge Road continues past Gray Rock, the main entrance and Gateway Rocks, and back to the car.