Garden of the Gods

At some point in Earth’s geological past, the land in Colorado was as flat as the Great Plains are in the east and a great inland sea ran through the middle of what is now the central U.S.

(recap) At some point in the past, the geologic timetable shows us that the Rocky Mountains were subjected to a tumultuous uplift as evidenced by the numerous volcanos and calderas found throughout the mountainous range, including the La Garita Caldera found in Colorado’s San Juan mountains and the well-known landscape of Yellowstone National Park. This is also the reason for the numerous hot springs found in the vicinity. The dynamic formation of the Front Range’s Garden of the Gods is a powerful testament to the uplift event. This uplift event forced the oceanic land to rise and drain the waters off the land. 

Years of erosion and glaciation continued to sculpt the mountains into the peaks and valleys we see today. As part of this process, dinosaur footprints, formed when the ground was soft and mailable along the edge of the ancient sea, have only recently been uncovered along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. These sites can be seen today at Triceratops Trail in Golden and Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison. Today, we see that not only have these sites been uncovered, they have also been upheaved as part of the same geologic process that upturned the red sloped rocks that make up the Garden of the Gods.

The magnificent spires, once as flat as the land around it, now stretch up into the sky at an impressive 70+ degree angle. 

Admirers of the red rocks can hike around the formation on the trails throughout the park. 

Erosion has sculpted some unique features throughout the park. This rock, known as Balanced Rock, teeters precariously on top of a shelf of rocks.

Glen Eyrie Castle Tea Time

You don’t have to travel to Europe to visit a castle. You only have to travel as far as Colorado Springs!

Not far from Garden of the Gods is a little castle nestled in the hills, called Glen Eyrie. The only way you can get in is for a tour, staying overnight in their hotel, or making a reservation for tea time.

Rather than another tour, I figured the kids would enjoy a tea time more… especially since we’ve never done it before. 

The tea and the snacks were delicious! We each tried a different flavor and once we finished our cups, passed around the pots to try each others. Turns out, we each liked the ones we ordered the best. Jaden had Berry, Berry; Ellie had Forest White Rainbow; while I had Almond Vanilla. 

After tea, we were allowed to wander the grounds, explore, and take pictures. Ok, that may have been the real reason we came!

We hiked up the trail on the north end of the grounds and found ourselves high above the castle. From there you can see more of the red rocks that point themselves up to the heavens. (Garden of the Gods was beyond the furthest red rocks you see in the distance)

It had just snowed and a light dusting covered the ground and snowflakes nestled themselves in between the needles of the pines. Simply beautiful!