Day Tours from Denver

From Denver: Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods Guided Tour

The listing gives 8.5 hours in a small group limited to 12. It meets in front of the Blue Bear sculpture outside the main entrance of the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St, in downtown Denver. Hotel pickup and drop-off also appear among the inclusions, so it is worth confirming pickup when booking. The itinerary, in order:

• the drive south from Denver
• Garden of the Gods
• up to the Pikes Peak summit, 14,115 ft
• a drive through Manitou Springs
• the return to Denver

Included are the guide, entrance fees, round-trip transport, lunch and water refills. The listing states the tour is not suitable for children under 8, and pets are not allowed. It asks guests to bring a camera, comfortable clothes and a reusable bottle. If the summit is closed by weather or road closures, the group goes to the highest point possible. Ian from the United Kingdom mentions the scenery at both places, and Katie from the United States that the group reached the summit despite the weather and walked at both stops. The Denver tour close-up has more.

What the tour day covers

At about 1.5 hours each way, per the park’s own directions for drivers, roughly three of the 8.5 hours would go to the road between Denver and Colorado Springs and back. The rest is split between the park, the mountain and Manitou Springs; the listing does not give the time at each stop. With transport, lunch and the entrance fees included, the driving, the parking and the Pikes Peak entry are left to the operator.

Driving from Denver yourself

The park’s directions put Garden of the Gods about 1.5 hours south of Denver via I-25, and Visit Colorado Springs gives about 70 miles. From Denver International Airport to Colorado Springs is 75 miles. CDOT announced overnight lane closures on southbound I-25 at the Garden of the Gods Road interchange from August 19, 2026, so current road conditions are worth checking before the drive. The directions and parking page has the route, and the getting there page covers the options.

What a day by car looks like

• Early start. The park opens at 5 am, and the park advises coming before about 8 am for the light and thinner crowds. Leaving Denver early helps in summer, when the Visitor Center lot often fills.
• Parking. Free. The Visitor Center lot has fewer than 200 spaces and often fills in summer and on holidays; an overflow lot across Gateway Road connects by a pedestrian tunnel. The park’s free summer shuttle runs roughly Memorial Day weekend to late August, plus Labor Day weekend in recent years; check the free summer shuttle page for this year’s dates.
• In the park. The paved 1.5-mile Perkins Central Garden Trail, the drive round the loop of about 6 miles, and the free Visitor & Nature Center from 9 am. A typical visit lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours, per Visit Colorado Springs.
• Lunch and Manitou Springs. The town lies next to the park’s south-west side, with free public mineral springs.
• Pikes Peak, optional. The highway entrance is about 15 minutes west of Colorado Springs on US-24; allow 2 to 3 hours round trip and, from May 22 to September 30, 2026, a timed-entry permit past Mile 7.
• Back to Denver. About 1.5 hours on I-25.

The one day page sets out the timing in more detail, and the worth the drive page weighs the trip itself. Driving down and joining a Colorado Springs tour is another option: the jeep tours page and the Segway and e-bike page describe the five local products.

Check dates for the Denver tour

Eight and a half hours from the Blue Bear sculpture in Denver, with Garden of the Gods, the Pikes Peak summit, Manitou Springs and lunch, per the listing.

Frequently asked questions