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Upper Loop

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 6440 - 6526 feet
Cellphone: 2-5 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: P2 thru P7
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic geology




The Upper Loop trail is located in the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The trail begins off of the Central Garden Loop where it climbs partially up the north side of the Sleeping Giant rock formation. A short scramble up a rocky crag provides scenic views of much of the parks iconic geological features.


The Upper Loop trail begins off of the southern end of the Central Garden Loop in the Cathedral Spires area. This post begins at the east end of the trail.


As the trail starts out it climbs a terraced staircase framed by widely spaced beams.


The trail becomes more confined as it climbs through thickets of gambel oaks.


The higher it climbs the more primitive the trail becomes with the wooden steps giving way to hewn rocks.


At the top of the loop a short spur trail branches off on the left.


From the spur there is the opportunity to do some scrambling to get a better view.


From your new vantage point you can look out over the entire Central Garden.


Be warned that the rocks can be very slippery even in dry weather as there is generally a thin coating of loose sand that gets tracked onto them.


There are still plenty of decent views from the Upper Loop even if you decide not to scramble up the spur trail.


The Upper Loop finishes by reconnecting with the paved Central Garden trail. By studying the map there are other trails nearby that are easy to get to for those that have the time to do some additional hiking. As far as the Upper Loop trail goes, if you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.