TRAVEL

Photo credits: The Colorado Tourism Office Exploring Colorado Garden of the Gods The towering red rock formations of the Garden of the

Gods Park come alive when you visit the free Visitor and Na- ture Center and explore the geology, plants, animals and peo- ple of this amazing 1319.12-acre regional park, located at 1805 North 30th Street in Colorado Springs. This incredible city-owned park is truly one of a kind. The site is a Landmark, having been recognized by the Department of the Interior as "a nationally-significant natural area." It offers towering sand- stone formations, a wonderful view of Pikes Peak, paved and unpaved hiking paths, the his- toric Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, a living history museum, placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1971, and many other amenities.

The park was given to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909 by the children of railroad magnate Charles Elliot Perkins, in fulfillment of his wish that it be kept forever open and free to the public. As a result, this amazing park can be enjoyed free of charge.

Some activities and fea- tures include guided na- ture walks, hiking, mountain biking and horseback rid- ing trails, road biking and technical rock climbing. —ColoradoSprings.gov

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Mesa Verde National Park The Ancestral Puebloans called Mesa Verde and the surrounding region home from 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D. During that time, they built more than 5,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, before suddenly leaving there in the 13th Century. Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt to protect these dwellings, and is the first and only national park designated specifically for the preservation of human culture. Mesa Verde National Park is the largest archaeological preserve in North America and an integral part of the Southwest’s Grand Circle region of national parks and monuments. A World Heritage site, Mesa Verde has been named “Number One Historic Monument in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler magazine and “One of the 50 Places to Visit in a lifetime” by National Geographic magazine. The park is located in the southwest corner of Colorado within the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Mesa Verde National Park is open year-round. Overnight accommodations, camping and coach tours are available mid-April through mid-October. —VisitMesaVerde.com

Rocky

Mountain National Park

The backbone

of Rocky Mountain National Park in- cludes some of the highest mountains in the continental United States. The

top third of the park encompasses the alpine tundra, a windswept land above the trees. Landscapes on either side of the Continental Divide feature alpine lakes, for- ested valleys and a wide range of plants and animals. Iconic sum- mer thunderstorms and persis- tent winter winds are among the forces that continue to shape this majestic landscape.

All forms of life, from tiny dia- toms to large herds of elk, have

OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2015