Photograph by Richard Forbes.
Just across Highway 24 from Garden of the Gods is an equally beautiful but less trafficked area: Red Rocks Canyon Open Space. The 789 acres of land offer great views of Pikes Peak and the Front Range, Garden of the Gods, and the city of Colorado Springs. Red Rock Canyon is open to hiking, biking, climbing, and horseback riding.
There are 85 established routes in Red Rock Canyon with range of grades from class 4.0 climbing to 5.13. Climbers can pick up permits at the Garden of the Gods visitor center, where there are climbing route guides available for purchase. There is also an abundance of route information online as well.
The open space is also great for mountain bikers. All trails, except for the Contemplative Trail, allow biking. This means there are countless miles of roads and single tracks to explore. Additionally, there is a free-ride stunt park at the entrance to the area.
As far as hiking goes, there are four main trails that lead out of the two main parking lots (East and West). From there, the main trails branch off into many different small single-track trails. Luckily, the park has many signs and maps throughout the areas to help visitors navigate the large network of trails. Dogs are more than welcome if they are leashed, and if you want to let your pup roam free, you’ll have to stick to the two designated off-leash loop trails.
Red Rock Canyon Open Space is saturated with geological and historical significance and is worth the visit during the next couple of warm weeks. There are many different activities that can be done there, but it is also a great place set up your hammock on a fourth week and write your final paper. Additionally, if you visit Friends of the Red Rock Canyon’s website, you can sign up for many different trail repair volunteer opportunities.