Colorado Springs is situated near the base of Pikes Peak at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) 65 miles (105 km) south of Denver. To the east of the city are rolling prairie lands and to the north is the Monument Divide. The climate in Colorado is relatively mild and dry and the city is protected from harsh weather by Rocky Mountains in the west. The nearby mineral springs and mountains make Colorado Springs a leading tourist center. Surprisingly this city is also a major defense center and an amateur athletics center. The main attractions are the Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, and Pikes Peak. The Garden of the Gods is one of the wonderful places to check out the unique rock formations in the area. It has the great views of Pike's Peak and great trails for easy hiking with families. There are about 50 mountains over 14,000 feet in the state, but Pikes Peak is best known because in the gold rush days, wagon trains could see it rising up from far out on the plains because it is located at the edge where the mountains and plains meet. Colorado has approximately 550 mountain peaks that exceed 4000 meters (13,123 ft) elevation. It is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1000 meters (3281 ft) elevation. The state's lowest elevation is 1010 meters (3315 ft) at the point on the eastern boundary of Yuma County where the Arikaree River flows into the State of Kansas.