Garden of the Gods sunrise and sunset, Colorado Springs

What time is sunset at Garden of the Gods?

It depends on the date: pick one below. At the June solstice the standard sunset at the park is about 8:28 PM, in late December about 4:40 PM. The mountains to the west hide the sun 38 to 64 minutes earlier, by our calculation from USGS elevation data.

Date

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Sunrise

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Morning golden hour

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Sun behind the mountains

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Standard sunset

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Evening golden-hour band

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Where it goes down

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Park open

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How this is calculated

Sunrise and sunset use the NOAA solar calculator method for the park's coordinates on Wikipedia (38.8677690 N, 104.8910877 W), with a flat horizon. Golden hour here means the sun between 4 degrees below and 6 degrees above the horizon; Wikipedia notes there is no single definition and lists this one among several.

"Sun behind the mountains" is our own calculation. For each compass bearing from 230 to 310 degrees we sampled USGS 3DEP ground elevations 1 to 26 km out and kept the highest angle above the horizontal, corrected for the Earth's curvature and refraction. The skyline stands 6.7 to 9.8 degrees high. The time is when the top edge of the sun drops below it. Not included: the rock fins themselves, trees and buildings, and the exact spot you stand on, which can change the time by minutes.

What time is sunrise at Garden of the Gods?

At the June solstice about 5:34 AM, in late December about 7:14 AM, by the NOAA method for the park's coordinates. The park opens at 5 AM all year, so sunrise always falls inside opening hours.

We did not measure the eastern horizon, so the sunrise time is the standard one. The calculator shows the morning golden-hour band for your date.

Is Garden of the Gods open for sunrise and sunset?

Yes. The park is open from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM from November 1 to April 30 and to 10:00 PM from May 1 to October 31, so both sunrise and sunset fall inside its hours all year.

The Visitor & Nature Center keeps shorter hours (9 AM to 5 PM, to 6 PM from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend), so its restrooms and cafe are closed at sunrise, and for most of the year at sunset too. The park closes each night with locked gates; there are no overnight stays. There is a live park camera on the Visitor Center.

When does the sun set behind Pikes Peak from Garden of the Gods?

Seen from the park's coordinates, Pikes Peak lies 257 degrees (WSW), about 14 km away. By our calculation the sun goes down in line with it around March 8 and October 4; in summer it sets further north, in winter further south.

The skyline in that direction is the Pikes Peak massif itself: our highest sample on the 255 degree bearing is 4,116 m, 14 km out. The park says the Siamese Twins Trail has a view of Pikes Peak through the natural window of the twins; the trails page has the details.

Which way do the overlooks face?

OpenStreetMap maps two named viewpoints in or next to the park. These are compass bearings from each to the Pikes Peak summit, from the map positions; we cannot tell you what the view looks like from there, only where things are.

Viewpoint (OpenStreetMap)	Pikes Peak lies	Distance
Garden of the Gods Overlook	253 degrees (WSW)	15.7 km
High Point Overlook	259 degrees (W)	14.5 km

For comparison, the sun sets at about 301 degrees at the June solstice and about 240 degrees at the December solstice at this latitude, by the NOAA method. So in summer the sun goes down well to the right (north) of Pikes Peak, and in winter to its left (south).

What to know for an early or late visit

• Parking: early is when the lots are empty; the park says the Visitor Center lot can fill at peak hours in summer. See parking and shuttle.
• Storms: the city notes summer thunderstorms are common in this area (on its Incline page, a few miles west); the National Weather Service rule is "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors".
• Pikes Peak the same day: the summit is a morning trip in summer, which leaves Garden of the Gods for the late afternoon. Plan both with the day planner.

More on Garden of the Gods

Hub

Garden of the Gods overview

Free entry, hours, the trail picker and pairing it with Pikes Peak.

Map · picker

Trails

Every named trail with length, climb, surface and access, on an OpenStreetMap trail map.

Lots · shuttle

Parking and shuttle

Visitor Center and overflow lots, the free summer shuttle, the accessible lot, trailers.

Jeep · Segway · trolley

Tours

All Garden of the Gods tours compared, plus the trolley, the free guided walk and the audio tour.

Strollers · restrooms

With kids

The paved loop, restrooms, Junior Rangers, how long to plan, heat and storms.