Record attendance pace continues at Garden of the Gods

Officials at Garden of the Gods said the popular park is on pace to set an attendance record for the fourth straight year and surpass 6 million visitors for the first time.

Kim King, a manager with the Colorado Springs Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, confirmed Friday that the park, which drew 5.8 million visitors last year, is on pace to break that record.

“We’re basing that on the number of people who have come to the Visitor and Nature Center, the number of pedestrians who have come and the number of vehicles counted by sensors at entrances throughout the park,” she said.

King said good weather has helped the park’s record pace.

“But cooler and wetter weather could slow it down,” she said.

To better manage growing attendance, the park experimented with two changes this summer: The operation of a shuttle bus service and the creation of an overflow parking lot at nearby Rock Ledge Ranch.

King said around 61,000 people used the shuttle, and 27,000 vehicles parked in the overflow lot.

“That’s potentially 100,000 people, or more, who didn’t get caught in or contribute to traffic congestion and a lack of parking,” King said.

Officials will analyze the two services and decide whether to continue them next year.

King said results of a text survey by 186 shuttle passengers showed that 84 percent rated the service a 4 or higher on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the highest.

In another concession to the park’s increasing popularity, officials said they will begin closing and locking entrance gates overnight to provide more security.