Motorless Morning Back for 2021

Garden of the Gods Park will be closed to vehicles on Saturday, April 24th from 5a.m. – Noon for the 1st Motorless Morning of 2021

After the successful “Early Bird Hike & Bikes”, the Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department is offering another opportunity for people to enjoy the park and its roadways without vehicles.

April 24th is the 1st Motorless Morning of 2021
A weekend  event allowing only foot traffic, bicycles, and skateboard to use the Garden of the Gods Roadways from 5a.m – Noon

 May 26th is the 1st Early Bird Hike & Bike of 2021
With events continuing monthly June 30, July 28, Aug. 25 and Sept. 29 from 5-8 a.m. on the last Wednesday of the month. For these weekday events normal park rules will apply meaning skateboards and longboards are not permitted during these events.

Motorless morning Guidelines, Details and Background

On Saturday, April 24, the City of Colorado Springs’ Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department will host a Motorless Morning in Garden of the Gods Park. The special event will eliminate motor vehicle access within the park from 5 a.m.-noon. The department is also bringing back Early Bird Hike & Bikes this year, which are monthly weekday motorless events from 5-8 a.m.

During Motorless Morning, visitors can park their vehicles at the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center (1805 30th Street), Garden of the Gods Trading Post (324 Beckers Lane, Manitou Springs) or in the overflow parking lot at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site (corner of 30th Street and Gateway Road). As always, the park will remain free and open to the public. Park rules and regulations, including speed limits, apply; however, skateboards and longboards are welcome on park roads during this event. There will also be designated slow zones and one-way traffic. At noon that day, the park will reopen to motor vehicles.

Designated parking for persons with disabilities is available at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center. From the visitor center, a shuttle into the main parking lot will be available upon request on Motorless Morning for those guests who need it. All park visitors will have access to accessible routes into and throughout the park, and the City will permit the use of other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMD), per its OPDMD policy.

This will be the fifth Motorless Morning held in Garden of the Gods. The event was held in April and October of 2018 and 2019. Motorless Morning was not held in 2020 due to COVID-19. In its place, the city offered scaled motorless events in 2020 called the Early Bird Hike & Bike.

In 2021, Early Bird Hike & Bikes will take place from 5-8 a.m. on the last Wednesday of the following months: May 26, June 30, July 28, Aug. 25 and Sept. 29. Per normal park rules, skateboards and longboards are not permitted during these events.

Due to COVID-19, the park’s popular and well-attended biannual Motorless Morning events, held in the spring and fall since 2018, have been cancelled in 2020. Taking its place is the Early Bird Hike & Bike, a scaled version of Motorless Morning.

All normal park rules will be enforced, and all visitors are asked to follow public health guidelines, including practicing physical distancing and wearing a face covering when a minimum of 6 feet can’t be maintained. As always, e-assist bicycles are allowed, as are all other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMD) and inline or roller skates. Due to safety concerns during this scaled event and per normal park rules, skateboards/longboards are not allowed.

Parking is available in the naturally-surfaced overflow lot near the park’s main entrance (30th Street and Gateway Road) and in the parking lot at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post (324 Beckers Lane, Manitou Springs). Accessible parking spaces are available at the Trading Post.

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