I’ve been wondering, why travel when there are beautiful places to hike here at home? OK, totally kidding! Here in Colorado Springs we have amazing parks and open spaces, not least of which is Garden of the Gods, a geologist’s dream come true on the Rocky Mountain Front.
Niobrara Ridge is just over a half mile walk, but the views are amazing. Hey, beauty is beauty regardless of trail length! We parked at High Point, Lot 9, at the southeast edge of the Park and are heading to the base of the trail. What a beautiful view north at 7:30am.
There’s the ridge, representing the Niobrara Formation, about 80 million years old. These are some of the “youngest” rocks in the park.
With all the red rocks we see in Garden of the Gods, why is this rock white? It is composed mainly of limestone and chalk, sometimes separated by layers of shale. This combination of minerals also holds excellent examples of marine fossils, but I have yet to see any. Maybe have to look closer. 😉
As we reach the top, we walk on and over the ridge itself.
Watch your step!
Here we are. The ridge, Pikes Peak, and the foothills called the Rampart Range to our left. Civilization to our right. Although the trees block the view of homes near Garden of the Gods, it is a city park after all.
You can clearly see the difference between the rocks here and those in Garden Center, left background. We are walking on white, crumbly limestone/chalk formed about 80 mya (million years ago). The red rocks and large whitish rocks are the Lyons Formations (300-250 mya). The oldest rock here is the Fountain Formation (320-300 mya), a 4,500 foot thick rock layer with some tall formations in the garden itself. We are walking on the “baby” rocks on this eastern side of the park.
Our shoes are getting a white “dusting” from the trail.
When hiking Garden of the Gods we are in the foothills, a transition zone that has plants, birds, and animals from both the prairie and the forests. Can make identification a bit tougher, but the variety is wonderful.
This hike has amazing views of Pikes Peak which sits at 14,115 feet. The mountain massif consists primarily of pink granite which encases clear to smoky quartz and mica. No wonder the top always appears a bit pink! Pikes Peak was never a volcano, solid granite through and through.
Beyond the edge of the ridge is Gray Rock (left) which is a Lyons Formation as are the all the tallest rocks in the park.
From here the trail goes down to an “escape” trail to the left. The view from here offers other rock formations to the north which is outside the park. The narrow ridge about mid-top picture is called a hogback. A geologic term for a long, narrow ridge or series of hills with sharp crests. All hogbacks have steep sides each with nearly equal inclines. Both the very narrow ridge and the pointed hills behind it are hogbacks.
Passing the “escape hatch” we continue uphill.
. . . and up, and up.
Ah, our pink-topped mountain, but check out the long trail cut in the foothills toward right. That’s Manitou Incline, originally a cable car track. After a rock slide in 1990 damaged a section of track, it was all removed. Today it is a hiking/fitness stairway that climbs 2,000 vertical feet in about .9 miles. Yup, point 9 miles. Now that’s a serious huffer puffer!
It is strongly recommended that you follow the established side, switchback trail to come down from the top. If you don’t and trip or slip and start falling . . . well you can imagine. Great views though! The base of the incline sits at 6,600 feet in the small mountain town of Manitou Springs to our right.
You may be wondering if I did this hike. Ahhhhhh . . . NO.
Looking behind us to the south are fascinating rock formations on the hills. I think the name Rocky Mountains makes sense from our views here in the Springs.
A lichen is forming a “flower” for us. This is a type of foliose lichen (leaf lichen). We see many lichen on rocks and trees here and that’s a good sign. Lichens are bio-indicators, and though some types can withstand pollution, lots of healthy lichen are a sign of good air quality. Take a deep breath . . .
We are coming up on a Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) with its gnarled and twisting shape.
These junipers live in the harshest winter and desert conditions and are only found in some parts of Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California, and Utah. Despite serious survival challenges, their average lifespan is 400-750 years, some living much longer. Along with other harsh-tolerance adaptations, their tap root can grown 40 feet straight down, pushing through crevices and rocks to find water. Their lateral roots can grow up to 100 feet from the tree. See the dead branches? This is the result of the tree stopping nourishment to some branches in order to maintain overall tree health. This is one amazing survivor!
Watch your step as we head down the edge of the ridge.
Switchback ahead . . .
This autumn the scrub oaks have given us lovely colors. Leaves of red and orange are not usual on these oaks, just turning brown is typical. What a special delight this year!
We also have stands glowing yellow.
Ultimately all their leaves will turn brown and hang on until spring, as with all oaks.
Here we are at the end of the ridge trail looking back. The other good thing about Niobrara Trail? We warm up with the sun reflecting off the white rock. This is a trail to avoid in summer, but with temps in the low 30s this morning, the warmth was so sweet.
Until next time my friend. Take a walk and hunt up those special features near you!
