It has been quite a while since we hiked together, so it’s time to head out for a three-mile hike in Garden of the Gods. Arriving at 6:15am, we have golden light, trails you have never seen, and huge rocks, particularly red rocks, everywhere. Now I know what so many country songs mean when they talk of “red-dirt”! We’ll be brushing it off our shoes and if our shoes “breath”, we’ll be washing it out of our socks. Ready to head out? The Bretag Trail awaits!
Heading down the Bretag Trail into the park, we hear the call of Prairie Falcons. The four young falcons were born and raised on North Gateway Rock this year. The beginning of July the four youngsters were testing their wings getting ready to leave the nest. They did not seem anxious to head out on their own, calling Mom for food, but she was perched on a rock across the way and seemed very content and ready for the “kids” to get a move on.
We’ll bear right up the Ute Trail which takes us though meadows, stands of scrub oak, and groups of cottonwood trees. Gray rock, which looks golden in the morning sun, is nesting territory for Red-tail Hawks and we can hear one calling.
It is a juvenile hawk, tail is not yet red. Red-tails are the most common hawk in this country and the second largest Buteo hawk in North America. It has been said that if it is large and you don’t know what kind of hawk you are seeings, there is an 85% chance it is a Red-tail. The call of the Red-tail is the most regal of all large raptors. It is the call “given” to the beautiful Bald Eagle in Hollywood, but the eagles actually make a rather weak piping type call–wimpy in comparison.
The scrub oak stands are dense and shelter many birds and small critters.
These tiny birds move constantly through all kinds of trees making it tough to get a picture, but here you go–just for you! The Bushtit is 4.5 inches max from tip of bill to end of tail. About the size of a ping-pong ball–with a long tail. A very social bird, they live in flocks and mix with other small songbirds when hunting for insects. The male and female look similar, but the female has light colored eyes, not seen too often in songbirds.
In many treetops as well as scratching the ground and flitting in the scrub oats is the Spotted Towhee. The female’s markings are identical, but where the male is black the female is grayish brown. All adults have bright red eyes. We see them and hear them all over the park.
Rock gardens are a bit different here in Garden of the Gods.
Every once in a while we have to stop and turn around. An important part of slowing down and looking around, often giving a whole different perspective of where we’ve been. Hmmmm . . . might be a life lesson there.
This is a new discovery. A small labyrinth built among the cottonwoods. Have you ever walked a labyrinth? These days it is often used for contemplation, losing track of time as you walk the maze toward its center. It is interesting to find one here. Such a lovely place to destress via labyrinth.
The trail down to the labyrinth, but watch your head.
Continuing up Ute, the connecting Niobrara Trail is behind those rocks on the ridge. It is called that because those rocks are white chalky limestone, part of the geologic Niobrara formation found across much of the Great Plains and here on the Rocky Mountain Front. We will walk it another day.
Taking a moment and turn around to look north, we have a great view of the our part of the Rocky Mountain Front.
Most summer afternoons we have thunderstorms which helps keep the landscape green. However, it also makes for ruts from flash flooding and softer ground surfaces that give way to rushing water.
Pikes Peak is so interesting when clouds get “stuck” at the 14,115 feet peak. Storms are heading in, but won’t reach us for a while.
Heading downhill we can see Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Beginning at that large red rock at left up the hill through the red rocks going right. We’ll take a walk there soon. Not a canyon like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, but you walk in at parking lot level and the walls rise up. Lots to explore.
A little creative license. The Common Sunflower was growing at the very edge of the trail so let’s make it look as special as it is. These plants can grow 10 feet tall and they do produce seeds loved by many birds.
Be careful, a bit steep here. The red rock formation ahead has no official name, but marks one southern edge of the park’s boundary.
Prairie Spiderwort is common in this area, but they do not grow in groups, just one plant here and there. Since the plants are low to the ground and the flowers only one to two inches across, they are easy to miss in the taller grass. The ones I’ve seen here have all been purple, but they can be any color from blue to rose, occasionally pink or white.
OK, time to look up rather than searching the ground for flowers and shrubs for birds. The views here are spectacular. The southern end of Gray Rock, also called Kindergarten Rock, on right and Sleeping Giant on left.
Another tiny bird is the Blue-gray Gnatchatcher. It does not have a song as we expect from birds, but makes a constant pwee call as it rapidly moves through the foliage. He is hunting in the meadow’s tall grasses so a better chance to clearly see him. Although called gnatchatchers, gnats are not a big part of their diet. They primarily eat small insects, spiders and other types of invertebrates.
Getting ready to cross the road where we will head west on the Buckskin Charley Trail.
This upper part of the Buckskin loop is mainly a walk through the forest with red rock formation here and there to explore.
It is always a fun to be in pine trees, turn a corner, and surprise–red rocks. Some you can explore, others are off limits such as this one.
It is easy to determine your location by the largest rocks seen, here once again Gray Rock and Sleeping Giant.
We can head up and around this formation for an off-trail view.
Up ahead is the intersection of Buckskin and Scotsman Trails. There are so many wonderful loop trails to explore in the Gods and we’ll do a few more soon.
Heading up the Scotsman we see the Rampart Range. Figuring out mountains does get a bit confusing with tertiary ranges within secondary ranges within primary ranges all within mountains ranges. The Rampart Range is tertiary in the secondary range of the Southern Front Range of the primary Front Range–got that? Regardless, the Rampart Range is the western edge of Colorado Springs going about 30 miles west from here.
The Scotsman does offer some great views of rock formations not easily seen elsewhere.
Have you ever tried to identify a mushroom using a field guide or app? I surrender! It is about 7″ across. Mushrooms don’t last long in the heat, but with afternoon rain they do pop up. I think this may be a member of the Agaricus genus, but I really don’t know. Still, always interesting to find mushrooms and some are so colorful–which is often a warning they are poisonous.
We are at the end of the Scotsman heading into the Central Garden. That is North Gateway Rock with the Kissing Camels atop.
Our last half mile will be on the paved trails in the Central Garden.
There are many formations that climbers can tackle along the Front Range and here in the Gods too–with a permit including proof of skill of course. Walking around North Gateway we see climbers heading up. Fun to watch but not my idea of a good time–ever.
One last feature before reaching the parking area is this Mullein, a non-native that is found pretty much across the USA. Mullein can grow to six feet, but this is unique because I have never seen one this wide with such large leaves. The leaves are soft and have a flannel-like feel which accounts for another of its common names–Flannel Plant. Native Americans and early settlers put the leaves inside their footwear for warmth and comfort.
Although the flower pods are packed along the stalk, only a few flowers open at a time throughout summer into fall. They are no larger than two inches across, but the insects love them as do pollen collectors.
This has been a fun walk with you and I hope you enjoyed exploring this amazing city park with me. We’ll be back another day.
Until next time my friend . . .
