Siamese Twins Trail

The Siamese Twins are a pair of sandstone columns at the quiet south end of Garden of the Gods, with a natural window between them that frames Pikes Peak. The loop to them is a mile with 100 feet of gain, the easiest real hike in the park, and the window photo at sunrise is the reason the small lot is full at 6 AM.

From the Siamese Twins trailhead on Garden Drive, the trail climbs gently through scrub oak and juniper to the base of the twin columns in about a quarter mile. A short scramble up sandstone steps reaches the window, where Pikes Peak sits framed between the rocks; stand back from the edge for the photo, which needs a wide lens.

The loop continues around the formation with a view south to the Spring Canyon rocks and west to the mountains, then drops back to the lot. It links to the Palmer and Scotsman trails for a longer walk, and the Perkins Central Garden trail, the paved loop through the big formations, is a 5-minute drive north.

Garden of the Gods is a Colorado Springs city park, free and open from 5 AM to 10 PM in summer and 5 AM to 9 PM in winter. The Siamese Twins trailhead is a small lot on the west side of Garden Drive in the park's southern section, past the Spring Canyon parking area. It holds about a dozen cars and fills at sunrise and sunset; the Spring Canyon picnic area lot (lot 16) up the road has more room, adds a quarter mile, and is where the park's guided geology walks on this trail meet. No fee or permit.

Dogs are allowed on leash. This is the park's best hike for small kids: short, a scramble, and a window to look through. Stay on the trail; the park is protecting the soil crust and the rock. Climbing the formations requires a permit from the park and is not what the window scramble is. Rattlesnakes live in the rocks in warm months. The visitor center on 30th Street has water and toilets; the trailhead has neither. The Colorado Springs hikes page covers the Incline, Barr Trail, and the rest of the park.