Primal Places ~ Castlewood Canyon

If you haven’t noticed, Colorado has mountains. Great big mountains. They sort of define the Front Range geographically. They are really, really big. Hard not to notice. But if you live along the Front Range and haven’t noticed them, look west. Yes, those are the mountains I’m talking about.

So when I typically start looking for a hike…well, I look west. And why not? Why not take advantage of the huge dose of nature just an hour away from Denver?

But I haven’t been in the mood to take the trek up to the mountains lately. Maybe it’s the I-70 blues. Maybe it’s the ear-popping. It happens. So April and I took a trip away from the mountains, not too far from Denver, and found a gem of a hike that rivaled any trail I’ve trekked in the high country.

I didn’t know anything about Castlewood Canyon State Park except that it’s located between Castle Rock and Elizabeth, a very easy and scenic drive from Denver. Admission for the day cost us $6.00. The visitor’s center was much nicer than I expected. I picked up from the dioramas that one of the unique features of the park was the diverse amount of ecosystems. The dioramas were correct.

We set out on the longest trail, a 4 mile lollipop. The trail started on rock, marked by the stacked rock method which was generally but not always obvious (it took a few minutes two or three times to get our bearings and find the next rock pile). The rocks were not difficult to navigate, but they certainly gave all the supporting, balancing muscles in the legs a good workout. The trail winds around the top of the canyon, then descends into the canyon, winding through a beautiful meadow and crossing Cherry Creek. Here, incredible rock formations on every side guard this idyllic, isolated meadow and provide a perfect photo opportunity. The trail then climbs back onto rock, out the mouth of the canyon and loops through the grass prairie. It passes through an incredibly diverse amount of scenery.

After the hike, we read a little more about the canyon. It was a popular place for native Americans with it’s ample game, water supply, and cave shelter. We certainly got the sense that it would make a great natural home. For a hike outside of the mountains, this is certainly a worthwhile primal destination. We’ll definitely be going back and exploring more of the park.