Garden of the Gods Park announced there will be a free public shuttle this summer.
The Garden of the Gods Foundation and City of Colorado Springs’ Park, Recreation and Cultural Services Department partnered together to implement the free shuttle following a transportation study done earlier this year. The shuttle will be offered for approximately 90 days between the end of May and beginning of September, according to a release.
The City of Colorado Springs says this is typically the busiest time of year for visitors at the park, as an estimated 5.8 million people visited during that time last year. The shuttle will be made up of two 14-passenger vans that will take around 30 minutes to complete a three-stop loop at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center, and the intersection of Gateway Road and Juniper Way Loop, which connects to a trail in the Central Garden zone, according to a release.
“Launching the shuttle system this summer is part of our incremental approach to apply small-scale pilot programs to gauge impact and measure feedback on utilization patterns,” said Kim King, parks and recreation manager. “We know we won’t have all the answers right away, but because we want to increase alternative ways to experience the garden, it’s critically important to test programs like this shuttle.”
The city says a temporary parking lot will be constructed near the intersection of 30th Street and Gateway Drive at Rock Ledge Ranch that will have a 400 car capacity. The parking lot will be constructed to accommodate shuttle users.
Shuttles will depart from that parking lot about every 15 minutes daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Users are encouraged to participate in a text-based survey to share feedback. For more information, click here.
