Carpenter Peak, Roxborough State Park The primary attraction of Roxborough State Park—situated at the edge of the Front Range to the southwest of Denver, Colorado—is a stunning collection of red-hued sandstone outcrops, rising from the earth at a roughly 60 degree angle and stretching for more than two miles north to south. Here the slanted …
Continue reading Carpenter Peak Trail (Roxborough State Park, CO)
The East Canyon Trail is the longest—and probably the least visited—trail in Colorado’s Castlewood Canyon State Park. The rugged path weaves east along slickrock rims from the Bridge Canyon Overlook, descends to the canyon bottom, and forms a short circuit around the East Canyon Preservation Area, which protects a variety of flora and fauna in …
Continue reading East Canyon Trail (Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO)
It’s hard to say which part of central Colorado’s Castlewood Canyon State Park is better: the steep and narrow upper, eastern gorge – or the broader, deeper expanses of the western section. Why not try both? Hikers hoping to explore the canyon from end-to-end can embark on a roughly 6-mile, 3-hour figure-8 that combines five …
Continue reading Castlewood Canyon East-to-West Hike (Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO)
Having grown up in Kansas, I was initially skeptical when driving south from Denver on Highway 83 that there would be any scenery of interest amidst the endless plains east of the Front Range. Yet shortly after cresting a modest pine-lined escarpment three miles south of Franktown, there it was: the road passes abruptly over …
Continue reading Inner Canyon – Lake Gulch Trail Loop (Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO)
Live and Let Hike 