"Best Of" 2015 Garden of the Gods. Photo by Jeff Kearney (Jeff Kearney)
Look northwest of Colorado Springs and you’ll see the trees of Pike National Forest.
The forest is also home to Ormes Peak, which a husband-and-wife duo hopes to turn into a 1,150-acre ski resort. If they succeed, the 9,700-foot mountain will be the closest place for Pikes Peak region residents to hit the slopes.
The area’s Rockrimmon neighborhood is bursting with wildlife; deer, bears, bobcats, foxes and coyotes frequent the area. It has attractions both natural and cultivated – Ute Valley Park, Blodgett Peak Open Space and Mountain Shadows Open Space contain popular hiking trails and rock climbing spots, while the Air Force Academy and downtown area are just a few minutes’ drive away.
Peregrine is deemed one of the most “natural” residential areas in the city. The 167-acre Blodgett Peak Open Space sits to the west, with the 9,426-foot Blodgett Peak towering above.
More than 300 of Cedar Heights’ 990 acres are undeveloped. The Cedar Heights Community Association maintains Echo Canyon Park, the Solitude Park conservation area and a network of trails in this neighborhood overlooking Garden of the Gods, Pike National Forest, Manitou Springs and Red Rock Canyon Open Space.
Kissing Camels is a 27-hole private golf community neighboring Garden of the Gods Park. It’s named after one of the park’s most-photographed rock formations. Residents share amenities with the private Garden of the Gods Club and Resort.
In 2012, the Waldo Canyon fire destroyed nearly 350 homes in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. Many who called the area home have since returned and rebuilt their houses.
A memorial sculpture by Eileen Gay titled “Heart” was installed in Mountain Shadows Park in 2014 and commemorates the community’s loss and reconstruction.
“Best Of” 2015 Garden of the Gods. Photo by Jeff Kearney (Jeff Kearney)Big horn sheep walk through the snow in front of North Gateway Rock in the Garden of the Gods Tuesday, January 28, 2014. Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette (Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette)Rockrimmon neighborhood August 8, 2015. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)Michelle Ennis leaps from rock to rock while visiting Balanced Rock in Garden of the Gods Monday, June 23, 2014. Ennis is visiting from Chicago and said this was her first ever visit to the park that online travel site TripAdvisor recently named the No. 1 park in the country. The city of Colorado Springs estimates that roughly 2 million people visit the park every year. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)Rockrimmon neighborhood August 8, 2015. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)“Best Of” 2015 Garden of the Gods. Photo by Jeff Kearney (Jeff Kearney)Every year, a group of friends and their children have a tradition of gathering in Discovery Park in Rockrimmon to pass the last couple of hours before the Superbowl playing football. They estimate they’ve been getting together for about a dozen years. They were playing Sunday, January 3, 2013. (JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE) (JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE)Rockrimmon neighborhood August 8, 2015. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)Barbara McAlister found the roads in the Garden of the Gods clear enough for a run early Monday morning, April 14, 2014. Her route took her past Balanced Rock. McAlister said she is training for this summer’s Pikes Peak Ascent. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)Snow blankets the Garden of the Gods Tuesday, January 28, 2014. This image was created by combining multiple photographs into one panoramic image. Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette (Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette)The early morning sun illuminates the Gateway Rocks in Garden of the Gods while clouds shadow Pikes Peak recently. Wednesday’s high is expected to hit 80 degrees but then highs could be only in the 40’s and 50’s for the rest of the week. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette (MARK REIS)
