Garden of the Gods is owned by the City of Colorado Springs, which has held title to the land since 1909 and manages it through its Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. The park is not federal land and not a state park. It belongs to the city, and a 1909 deed from the Perkins family controls much of what the city can and cannot do with it.
How the City Got the Land
Charles Elliott Perkins, head of the Burlington Railroad, bought the 480-acre property in the 1870s and left it undeveloped. He wanted it preserved and open to the public but died in 1907 before arranging the transfer himself. On December 22, 1909, his six children carried out his wishes and deeded the 480 acres to the City of Colorado Springs.
The city has added land around that original parcel over the years, bringing the park to roughly 1,341 acres today. The Perkins deed restrictions attach to the original 480 acres, which is why some commercial operations sit on separate parcels just outside that historic boundary.
The Deed Restrictions That Still Govern the Park
The 1909 deed is not a wish list. Its terms are enforceable covenants that run with the land, and they shape how the park operates more than a century later. Under the deed:
- The park must remain free and open to the public.
- No intoxicating liquors may be manufactured, sold, or served within the original deeded boundaries.
- No buildings or structures may be erected except those needed to care for, protect, and maintain the land as a public park.
- The park must keep the name Garden of the Gods.
These restrictions are the reason admission is free and always will be, and they’re the reason you won’t find a restaurant selling drinks or a hotel built inside the original parkland.
Who Actually Runs the Park
Day-to-day operations fall to the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. The department handles trail maintenance, vegetation management, wildlife protection, and public safety. The Rocky Mountain Field Institute partners with the city on conservation and restoration projects.
Funding comes from municipal resources supplemented by the Garden of the Gods Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 1994. The Foundation has contributed more than $7.6 million to the park since then, drawn entirely from Visitor and Nature Center revenue and public donations rather than tax dollars. Each year the Parks Department gives the Foundation a prioritized list of projects, and the Foundation funds what its budget allows.
The U.S. Department of the Interior designated the park a National Natural Landmark in 1971, but that recognition is honorary. It transfers no ownership or management authority to the federal government. The city remains in charge.
Parcels Inside and Around the Park That Aren’t City-Owned
Not everything a visitor sees belongs to Colorado Springs. The Garden of the Gods Trading Post, a gift shop and restaurant that has operated since the 1920s, is privately owned and sits on private land. A 2023 land transfer between the Trading Post’s owners and the city adjusted some boundaries, but the business still operates independently.
The Visitor and Nature Center sits on what was originally private property donated for that purpose, and the Garden of the Gods Foundation owns and operates it. That structure matters legally: because the center sits outside the original Perkins acreage and is run by a nonprofit rather than the city, it can host retail and food service without running afoul of the deed’s limits on commercial activity and liquor sales within the deeded parkland.
What City Ownership Means for Visitors
Because the park is municipal property, Colorado Springs sets the rules. City ordinances govern park hours, climbing permits, drone use, commercial filming and tours, pet rules, and everything else that happens on the grounds. If you need a commercial use permit for paid services in the park, you get it from the city. If a trail or formation closes seasonally for raptor nesting, the city makes that call.
And because the Perkins deed sits on top of city ownership, one thing never changes: there is no admission fee, no reservation requirement, and no legal path for the city to start charging one. The park draws an estimated six million visitors a year from all 50 states and more than 60 countries, and every one of them walks in free.