Bike the Garden of the Gods Loop

The Basics: Garden of the Gods is a free, public park on the Western edge of Colorado Springs. Open year round, the excellent paved roads with wide bike lanes provide road bikers with multiple loop options from 3 to 10+ miles. From casual bike riders to seasoned pros, you choose your distance and difficulty!

The Ride: Starting from the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center entrance (East side of park), the 2.5 mile inner loop takes you counter-clockwise around the majority of the jaw-dropping rock formations. You'll ride past multiple great photo ops on the roadside. Be wary! Despite multiple warning signs, tourists love to park in the bike lane, especially during busy summer months. 
To add to the inner loop, follow signage to the rider's right for Balancing Rock and the Trading Post. Once you make it downhill to the Trading Post, the road will take you back to the main inner loop. This larger loop is about 6 miles. 
Rinse and repeat these loops as much as you want. You can also exit the park in any direction and rejoin on a different access road to add mileage and difficulty.

The Area: Garden of the Gods has multiple amenities inside the park at the Visitor's Center and the Trading Post, where maps, food, bathrooms, and souvenirs are available. The unique Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort is located at the park boundary. The Garden is nestled near Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, which both provide ample bike shops, tourist attractions, eateries, and lodging. You can also access the Garden of the Gods by bike from downtown Colorado Springs via the Midland Trail. I highly recommend catching the sunset after your ride. These loops are just as excellent for road running, and there are miles of hiking trails interspersed between the roads and rock formations for many days worth of exploring. Looking for hikes or climbing, check out Climb and Hike in the Garden of the Gods or Hike the Garden of the Gods Observation Trail. 

Pictures (left to right): Mesa Rd. overlook, Approaching the Garden on Ridge Rd, S-curves behind the rocks, Kissing Camels, The Garden in Fall, and The Gateway