A Visitor’s Guide to Happy Hiking (and Happier Rangers)

by Asya L. Simons, Park Guide & School Programs Coordinator, Garden of the Gods Park

Summer means many things – blooming wildflowers, extended Park hours, and beautiful weather to hike in! It also means higher visitation here in the Garden, and with more people comes more pressure on our ecosystems, animals, and facilities. And with great visitation, comes great responsibility for both you and Park Staff. Here are some tips on how to have a fantastic visit, while also helping us maintain and care for the Park!

First of all – it’s dry. Like, really dry. Particularly after this winter when we’ve gotten almost exactly zero snow. This means two things: You need extra hydration and fire danger is high. Please, I beg of you, drink more water than you think you need. Your liver and skin will both thank you. Also, no playing with fire, no smoking, no campfires, no thinking too hard about flames and s’mores. Wildfires haunt our nightmares. Johnny Storm has been banned from the Garden for the rest of the year. Flame Off.

Do you love our animals? Our mule deer and bighorn sheep love you too…from a distance! Please help keep them happy and healthy by keeping your four-legged furry family members on leash and cleaning up after them. Make sure our wildlife has food and places to hide and stay cool by not picking flowers or leaves off trees, and stay on the trails so the grass doesn’t die a terrible trampling death.

Remember above when I mentioned higher visitation? I really did mean higher visitation. The Garden of the Gods is one of the most visited city parks in the country (and the best if you ask me). There will be people. Everywhere. It’s fantastic. We love sharing the Park, and that means being aware and courteous to all. Keep your drones, loudspeakers, and boomboxes at home. Please find another place to serenade your girlfriend –preferably literally anywhere that it won’t echo off a 300-million-year-old rock formation.

Let’s avoid driving each other up a sandstone wall, so we can all enjoy the beauty of the Park! Hydrate, stay on trail, and don’t blare today’s pop hits. The Park Staff thanks you!

Happy adventuring!