Pikes Peak & Garden of the Gods Day Trip from Denver

4.88

(177 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to feel so tiny standing under those red rocks in Garden of the Gods. Our guide, Mike, just grinned when I said it out loud—he said everyone does. The air smelled a bit like pine needles mixed with dust, and there was this quiet hum from other hikers echoing off Balanced Rock. We stopped for photos but honestly, half my shots are crooked because I kept staring up instead of at my phone. I tried to pronounce “Steamboat Rock” in Spanish (don’t ask me why), and Li laughed so hard she almost dropped her water bottle.

The drive up to Pikes Peak felt longer than I thought it’d be—switchbacks and all—but it’s weirdly soothing watching the trees thin out as you climb. At the summit, 14,000 feet or so (Mike called it “America’s Mountain”), I had that fuzzy feeling in my ears and my sandwich tasted oddly sweet. Maybe altitude does that? The wind was sharp but not mean, and we could see Colorado Springs way down below—tiny houses, toy roads. Some folks just stood quietly. I did too for a minute. It’s one of those views you can’t really pack away.

After winding back down we rolled into Manitou Springs, which is smaller than I pictured—lots of old brick buildings and people wandering with mineral water bottles. There’s something about the way locals nod at each other here, kind of like they’re all in on some secret spa club from the 1800s. We had lunch (mine was turkey, but there were veggie options) sitting outside where you could hear someone playing guitar nearby—badly, but it fit somehow.

I keep thinking about that moment up top: cold fingers on a sandwich wrapper, sky so wide it made me dizzy. If you’re looking for a day trip from Denver that actually feels like leaving regular life behind for a bit… well, this one does it.