Vacation is a very important time for my wife. She loves researching and planning all sorts of great places for us to visit. This past summer, we were supposed to go to Oregon, but, you know, COVID. We ended up doing a staycation instead, and my wife did a great job of finding places for us to visit here in Colorado, many of which we had never visited before. One day we ventured over to Jefferson County and Mt. Falcon Park.
The park has many trails of varying lengths. My family enjoys hiking, but we are definitely short trail type of people. Luckily, the Castle Trail in the park is a pretty easy hike. There are some great views along the way, but the highlight of the journey is the ruins of the Walker "castle." Built in 1909, it was the home of millionaire John Brisben Walker. For a time, Walker was the owner of Cosmopolitan Magazine, before selling it to William Randolph Hearst in 1905. He also owned an early automobile company, the Locomobile Company of America.
I'm sure the house was quite impressive, but sadly it didn't last long. In 1918, a mere nine years after being built, the house was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The ruins are all that remains of the "castle." The trail takes you right up to the ruins, so you can get up close to this piece of history. They are fenced off, though, so nobody hurts themselves or the historic remains. It's a nice simple hike that I definitely recommend.
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