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Red Rocks
Red Rocks
A natural amphitheater, Red Rocks is best known as a top concert venue, but also features a great series of hiking trails that allow you to see up close the spectacular rock formations. The Denver Mountain Park also features a visitor center which exhibits the geology and music history of the park.
Dogs are permitted on the trails when leashed, however the park is closed to the general public during concerts and events so it is best to check the schedule prior to heading out.
Hours
Hours
Open daily, with closures during events. Check the event schedule for details.
Trails
Trails
The Park has two main trails, the Geologic Overlook and Trading Post trails, which highlight different areas and formations.
More Info
More Info
Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge
Millions of years before man settled at the base of the Front Range, Dinosaurs roamed the region, and remnants of these ancient reptiles and their environment can be found in another local park. Located across the street from Red Rocks, straddling the Dakota Hogback, is the Dinosaur Ridge Park. Both at the main ridge, as well as at their Triceratops Trail in Golden, visitors are able to view fossils of both these creatures, as well as the plants that dominated Colorado's ecosystem numerous millennia ago. The park also features a bone quarry, dinosaur footprints, and a small museum .
Access
Access
The main ridge can be accessed from either side, either the main entrance from W Alameda (shown on the map to the left) or from CR-93, across from Red Rocks.
The Triceratops Trail is accessed from 19th St, in Golden. Map.
Pets are permitted on the trails a leash.
More Info
More Info
Roxborough State Park
Roxborough State Park
While not as popular as Garden of the God's in Colorado Springs, Roxborough is nearly as impressive and far less crowded. The park is dominated by breathtaking red rock spires, hogbacks, and monoliths, and can be easily navigated by a series of trails for every ability level. Most striking is the 300 million year old Fountain Formation, slabs of uplifted sandstone jutting out of the ground at a 60 degree angle.
Hours
Hours
Park hours are 8a-5p, with extended hours in the Spring and Summer.
Fees
Fees
Entry requires the purchase of a daily park pass, $7.
Enter for free if driving my car, show the annual pass on the windshield.
More Info
More Info
Pets are not permitted.
Visit the Colorado SPW website for more information.
Castlewood Canyon
Castlewood Canyon
Although most Coloradans dismiss everything east if I-25 as flat and boring, Castlwood Canyon is one of the major exceptions. Formed as the Cherry Creek cut through uplifted rock along the edge of the Palmer Divide, the 400-foot deep canyon is an in intriguing landmark in eastern Colorado. The park is also home to the historic Cherry Creek Bridge and the remnants of the Castlewood Dam, which failed in 1933 sending a 15-foot wall of water rushing into Denver. Trails ranging from a half mile to four miles allow visitors to explore both above and below the canyon rim.
Hours
Hours
Vary by season, in winter: 8a-5p
Fees
Fees
Entry requires the purchase of a daily park pass, $7.
Enter for free if driving my car, show the annual pass on the windshield.
Access
Access
The main entrance (shown on the map to the left) is located off of CO-83 south of Franktown. The northwest entrance is along Castlewood Canyon Road off CO-86 between Castle Rock and Franktown.
More Info
More Info
Pets are permitted on most trails if leashed.
Visit the Colorado SPW website for more park info.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Looking to experience the wildlife and fauna of the high plains without driving too far east? Look no further than the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Taken over by the US Fish and Wildlife Service after closing in the 1980s, the former army facility has undergone a massive environmental cleanup and is now one of the largest urban refuges in the country. Today, the facility is home to over 330 species of animals including bison, black-footed ferrets, deer, coyotes, bald eagles, and burrowing owls, and showcases a rejuvenated high-plains ecosystem.
Visiting
Visiting
The refuge is open year-round from sunrise to sunset except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
The visitor center and exhibits are open Wednesday-Sunday 9a-4p, with the exception of Federal holidays
No pets are permitted.
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