Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods Park is a National Natural Landmark managed by the City of Colorado Springs Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services. As one of the most popular destinations in the Western United States, the park welcomes an estimated 5 million local, national, and international visitors each year. Given its relatively small size—just 1,300 acres—the visitation density far exceeds that of any similar site in the region, stretching the traditional definition of a city park.

Decades of heavy use have taken a significant toll on the park, placing its natural integrity at serious risk. Major threats include soil erosion, the loss of native plant communities, invasive species, wildlife disturbances, and the deteriorating condition of the park’s trail system. In 2000, RMFI completed the Garden of the Gods Restoration Report, which evaluated the park’s ecological health, outlined key recommendations to address major threats, and estimated the cost of implementing those recommendations. In 2018, RMFI conducted an updated condition assessment of the park’s trails, which now guides the organization’s stewardship objectives for the coming years.

Over the past 25 years, RMFI has engaged more than 18,000 volunteers in stewardship projects at Garden of the Gods.