Mt Falcon Park - Castle Trail

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.

Triceratops Trail

Dinosaurs are a big deal here in Colorado.  There are several species of dinosaur whose remains were first discovered here in the Rocky Mountain State.  Among those is the triceratops.  The first specimen was discovered near Denver in 1887.  So, there are many sites for dinosaur enthusiasts to discover here in the Denver area, including Triceratops Trail in Golden.

This simple little trail is just 1.5 miles long, out and back.  It's nestled in a little stretch of land between US 6 and a golf course east of downtown Golden.  The trail winds around some large sandstone walls that feature several bits of evidence left by the previous inhabitants of this region.

The most exciting features are bulges in the rock that show the footprints of a triceratops.  Now, these are bulges because you're actually seeing the bottom side of where the creature stepped.  So, it's the opposite of what you would usually imagine when thinking about a "footprint."  Imprints left by ancient palm fronds can also be spotted in the rocks.  The site is similar to the nearby Dinosaur Ridge.  Triceratops Trail joined Dinosaur Ridge as a National Natural Landmark in 2011.  However, at Dinosaur Ridge you either need to pay for the shuttle up the ridge or endure a strenuous uphill walk.  Triceratops Trail is an "easy" hike by all standards.

Since we got some springlike temperatures for the first weekend of February, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out this spot that I had never visited before.  Snow is coming tomorrow, they say.

South Valley Park

Last weekend was the first Saturday of 2020, and we had a beautiful sunny Colorado day with temperatures in the low 60's.  The perfect day to go out for a hike!  Now, my wife is the one who is always great at finding spots we've never visited before.  Somewhere in the back of her brain she had tucked away the name South Valley Park as a spot we needed to visit someday.  It's a great spot tucked away behind the hogbacks, just a stone's throw away from Chatfield State Park, off of C-470 in Jefferson County.

The park features several hiking trails that are easy to tackle. Actually, the only difficult part about the trails that we experienced was that they were quite muddy and had a few snowy patches. It is winter, after all! The trails weave around a number of rock formations that are quite impressive. 

I was blown away that I had never even realized this place existed! Twenty-six years and I didn't have a clue. I can be a bit slow sometimes. At work on Monday I told one of my co-workers about the park and he instantly knew of the place. "Oh, yeah...my kids and I saw a mountain lion there once." I was glad that wasn't part of my experience. I still get a bit weirded out by the thought that I live in a place where one can just happen upon a "lion" when out for a walk. Don't let that deter you, though. South Valley Park is a great spot to enjoy some of Colorado's signature beauty on a simple hike with the family.