Getting to Garden of the Gods

By car from Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs

The park lies inside the city of Colorado Springs, on its west side, and its south-west edge meets Manitou Springs. From downtown Colorado Springs the drive is short. The address to enter in a navigation app is the Visitor & Nature Center, 1805 N. 30th Street. The overflow lot sits across Gateway Road from the center, linked to it by a pedestrian tunnel (park site). The parking and shuttle page covers the lots.

On the Manitou Springs side lies the park’s south side, where the Garden of the Gods Trading Post stands on Beckers Lane. The Manitou Springs page covers the town.

By car from Denver

The park’s directions and parking page describes the park as “approximately 1.5 hours south of Denver via I-25”, and Visit COS gives about 70 miles. From Denver International Airport to Colorado Springs, the park’s site gives 75 miles on I-25. Driving times on I-25 vary with traffic, and in 2026 the Colorado Department of Transportation began overnight lane closures on southbound I-25 at the Garden of the Gods Road interchange on August 19. The Denver day trip page sets out what the drive leads to.

Driving in the park

Once inside, the park roads are one-way loops with paved bike lanes. The Garden Drive and Juniper Way loop is “about 6 miles” and the speed limit is 20 mph throughout, per the park rules page. A drive-through takes 20 to 30 minutes and a typical visit 90 minutes to 2 hours, according to Visit COS. The best way to see it page compares driving, walking, the shuttle and the tours.

Park hours

• May 1 to October 31: 5 am to 10 pm.
• November 1 to April 30: 5 am to 9 pm.
• Visitor & Nature Center: 9 am to 5 pm in winter, 9 am to 6 pm from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The Visitor Center lot has fewer than 200 spaces and often fills in summer and on holidays (park site), so arrival time matters more than distance on a busy day. The best time to visit page covers the quieter hours.

Without a car: the bus

Mountain Metro Route 3 (Colorado Ave / Manitou) runs from the downtown terminal along Colorado Avenue to Manitou Springs. According to transit listings, its stops include Manitou/Beckers, near Beckers Lane on the south side of the park. This is secondary information; check Mountain Metro for the current route and timetable before relying on it. From the south side, the Visitor Center and the Central Garden are further into the park on foot, and in summer the free shuttle loops between the Visitor Center, the Central Garden, Parking Lot 1/Overflow and the Rock Ledge Ranch entrance.

Without a car: tours with pickup or a meeting point

Each GetYourGuide listing sets its own start, so the arrangement differs by product:

• Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods and Foothills Jeep Tour (2.5 hours): meets at the operator’s base next door to Rudy’s Hideaway Restaurant; the listing also lists hotel pickup and drop-off, so confirm the arrangement when booking.
• Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods Luxury Jeep Tour (2 hours): hotel pickup and drop-off on the private tour only, per its listing; the open-seating tour has its own meeting point on the listing map.
• Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods Segway Tour (1.5 hours): in front of the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center.
• Manitou Springs: Garden of the Gods E-Bike Tour (2 hours): 306 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs.
• Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods Jeep Tour (4 hours): next to Rudy’s Little Hideaway restaurant, or the Visitor Center from November to March; the listing states that transport to the meeting point is not included.
• From Denver: Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods Guided Tour (8.5 hours): the Blue Bear sculpture outside the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St, Denver; hotel pickup also appears under includes, so confirm pickup when booking.

The tours page sets all six side by side, and the tours from Denver page covers the day trip.

Frequently asked questions