Following Charles Elliott Perkins’ death in 1907, his magical land of red rocks overlooked by Pikes Peak was donated to the city on terms that it “shall remain free to the public.”

Garden of the Gods is a gift that keeps on giving.

It gives in economic terms. Commissioned by Garden of the Gods Foundation, a recent report found that the park’s 4.5 million visitors a year impacted the local economy to the tune of $272 million annually. In 2022, the Garden contributed to 4,055 jobs in the region, spelling a total employment-related income of $158 million, that report found.

The park gives in ways that can’t be calculated. It can’t be calculated as much as felt.

We feel it with every view of our favorite outcrops: Kissing Camels, Siamese Twins, Balanced Rock and, of course, those Gateway formations defining the park’s picture-perfect core. We look one way to Pikes Peak, another way to Cheyenne Mountain. We might just spot the iconic residents, those beautiful bighorn sheep.

We might stroll through the Central Garden’s sidewalk, or we might take less-trafficked dirt trails around — with every step feeling that power of awe.

A dusting of snow lies on the rocks in Garden of the Gods in October 2012 after the first snowstorm on the season hit the Colorado Springs area.

the gazette file