Communing with Rocks

by Julie Smith L’Heureux

It was approaching sunset as our family began our hike. As photographers we were looking to take sunset pictures with Pike’s Peak as a backdrop. To my surprise, as the sun lowered in the sky, I looked up in astonishment as the rocks around me turned a reddish-golden color. These were no ordinary rocks but the red sandstone rock formations of Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Although the park is only two miles square, it is a gold-mine for landscape photographers. Some of the best photo opportunities are available in the winter or spring when you may have snow-covered sandstone rocks. In summer, the yuccas are in bloom forming an interesting foreground to the rocks. Late September brings the brilliant colors of fall. The best lighting conditions on the rock formations are early morning or late afternoon.

The Garden of the Gods is a small public park whose most notable feature is the sandstone hogback formations. The name Colorado is said to come from the color of this sandstone. The hogbacks, named because they resemble the backs and spines of a pig, are ridges of sandstone whose layers are tilted. Some layers are vertically oriented. Each hogback can range up to several hundred feet long and the tallest rises to a height of 320 feet tall.

True to its name, you feel you are in a special private place. The name dates back to the 1850s and the gold rush when two surveyors discovered the site and thought it a fit place for the gods to assemble and therefore called it the Garden of the Gods.

Geologically, the area is also fascinating. The park has a rich and complex geologic history extending back over 300 million years. Sixty-million years ago when the Rocky Mountains of today began rising, the rocks were elevated and tilted. The effects of winds and rains over time sculpted the rocks into the interesting shapes that are visible in the park today.

But there is much more to the Garden of the Gods than outstanding scenery and interesting geology. Several different ecosystems converge at Garden of the Gods, so wildlife and plant life are quite diverse and plentiful. Willow and other deciduous trees are there but the park is mainly covered in scrub oak, pinion pine, and juniper. The contrast of the greenery against the sandstone makes for a striking picture. Wildlife at the park includes deer, rattlesnakes, rabbits, big horn sheep, and many types of birds including migrating snow geese and eagles.

For such a small area it is a vast resource and very interesting place to visit. Photographers can find many subjects to photograph and if you hit the light just right, you can enjoy the spectacular light show on the red rocks.