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Central & Western Colorado

Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak and Black Canyon of the Gunnison

By Scott Richardson

Garden of the Gods

PIkes Peak

The other side of the mountain

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Night skies

Travel resources

Garden of the Gods

In summer – start early, or come late. Not only will you get better light, you're more likely to avoid Colorado's famous afternoon thunderstorms.

For an alternate view, try a hike at Red Rock Canyon Open Space where you can see a distant view of the rock formations.

Pikes Peak

Whether you drive, take a shuttle or hike up (...although if you do, it's 14k feet), treat yourself to a hot donut at the top, it's tradition.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Oak Flat trail: Good views of the canyon on a slightly strenuous hike above the rim.

Warner Point trail: Walk through a landscape of pinyon pine and juniper trees en route to a spectacular view of the river and canyon.

Hiking into the canyon: I'd originally planned to complete a hike to the canyon floor, but the milky way kept me up late. At sunrise, I was still fast asleep in my tent. To hike to the canyon floor, you need to arrive early to grab a first come, first serve permit. The previous day, I completed a short, required trail orientation with a park ranger. He explained the trail consists of a steep descent and a scree. Poison ivy is also rampant.

Milky Way: Usually I'm foiled by cloudy skies while trying to stargaze. Even with a severe thunderstorm earlier in the evening, the clouds cleared by 11pm and the sky was blanketed with the most stars I'd ever seen. To increase your chance of spotting the milky way, visit between March and November when the core is visible above the horizon. Keep an eye on cloud cover and moon phase to ensure you'll have a clear, dark sky. Invest a bit of money in the Photopills app to visualize and plan locations to view the milky way.

Nearest town: Montrose, CO. Plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores and a campground.

Best meals

The Southern Lilly, Southern: When the rain wouldn't stop, I looked for something to warm me up. Halfway between Colorado Springs and my campsite in Cripple Creek, this southern restaurant served a flavorful elk chili that did the trick. Pair it with the sweet potato biscuits. Woodland Park, Colorado.

Colorado Boy Brewery, Brewpub: Anytime I'm in Colorado or New Mexico, I'm going to find green chiles, although a few days into this trip I was coming up short. Luckily this busy downtown brewpub serves a chicken chile pizza with plenty of chiles, and it pairs perfectly with their homemade IPA. If it's busy, grab a seat at the bar, or get a pie to go. Montrose, Colorado.

Montrose Farmer's Market. See above for additional evidence of my chile addiction. A quick loop through the market on a Saturday morning scored me a green chile scone, and I paired it with a great cup of coffee from The Vine Market nearby. Montrose, Colorado.