Castlewood Canyon State Park

I am trying to go to all the state parks in CO and this led me to visiting Castlewood Canyon! It seems like not too many people know about it because there was only a few other cars in the parking lot and not many people on the trails when we visited. Based on this it is a hidden gem in my opinion. We did the lake gulch and inner canyon trail. What a beautiful trail that goes into the canyon and follows along the river. Lots of wild flowers growing when I visited (June) and it was very green. Lots of cool rock formations! We saw many birds (crane, turkeys, a hawk, and more!).It seems great for rock climbing too. Lots of bolts setup in the rocks. There are trails that are marked climbers access only.Tips: if you come in the summer bring bug spray!Can't wait to visit again!

I returned to Castlewood Canyon State Park today. This time I entered the park through the visitor's center entrance. If you've never been to the visitor's center, I recommend going. It's small and quaint but worth your time. There are public restrooms inside. They have a small gift shop as well as available staff to answer any questions you may have.There are plenty of nearby hiking trails. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen, water to stay hydrated and a hat. I was very impressed with the views of the canyon. Make sure you see the amphitheater. Plenty of parking areas and spaces. Be prepared to pay an admission fee too. If you have the annual parks pass make sure you have your vehicle registration because they will ask for it.I highly recommend Castlewood Canyon State Park. Looking forward to my next visit!

What a great canyon with both entrances being uniquely different. First and foremost the entrance with the visitor center has a beautiful accessible to all trail through the park with beautiful views and if your feeling adventurous make your way down into the canyon. There great picnic areas all over the park but it does get hot over here fast so strongly suggest making it out early or late evening to enjoy cooler weather. Now the smaller side of the park o. The other side has fun small water flow areas to play in but can be tricky to get to but lots fun with kids

Castlewoos Canyon is quickly becoming a place in my rotation of local hikes that are quick to go to. I've been a few times and my one piece of advice is going during the week. The sun is setting later this time of you so I like to go after work, the weekend was just a little too people-y for my taste. They have a variety of trails and you can walk along the canyon and ruins with a gradual elevation change. Best part of all? There is A LOT of tree coverage so if you walk on the west side of the park, you're pretty much covered the entire time. My preference is parking on the west side vs the east side (where the visitors center is). Solid place to hike if you're looking to get away from the hustle and bustle from the Denver area.

Paid for the parks pass with my car registration so we took advantage of it today. Never visited this park before so I was excited to check the park out. Showed the car registration to the parks volunteer to get inside. We started out at the Bridge Canyon overlook. What a view! The bridge has a cool design. I like the gazebo and stairs design of the overlook building. We went to the Lake Gulch trailhead next. The walk was easy to the Pikes Peak amphitheater. I like the seats here. Cool designs on the wood of the benches. The memorial benches all over the park are so sweet. They also provide seats for resting or admiring the view. The signage is great to learn about the area and also look at the trails. I would like to reserve the amphitheater or the picnic pavilion for a get together. Will have to come back to explore more.

This canyon always leaves me wanting more. I have hiked all 14 trails noted on All Trails. I am enamored with everything this park and the people that maintain it have to offer. The pride that is taken with this park can be seen and felt. Great for solo hikes, friend hikes, and family hikes. Dogs are allowed on some trails, but not all!

Between COS and Denver, this is a easy commute to a nice park with a number of hiking trails of various difficulties. One can do short hikes to start or end the day, as well as longer ones without having to repeat a trail. There is a dam remains as well as waterway to view as well. If coming from the east, take the 83 north and go to the furthest parking lot to access the trailhead of Lake Gulch to get to the dam. There is some terrain but not much.

The park is huge (I got about 4 hours of walking in) and can bring you from atop the canyon down to the water. There are remnants of the old dam and a lot of easy places to get into the water. I only came across one short bridge (not in an exciting place) and another area where you can walk/jump across large boulders set up as a bridge (this was a decent area). There is a small waterfall on the West side (I want to say) that you should park near and head SE towards if you want to see it. I approached from the opposite end and didn't see the falls until I was pretty far away from them (behind me).It costs $10 for a day pass and there are a few parking lots. Just watch out since the trails can add up to quite a bit of walking and they don't really loop back the way you'd want them to (more of backtracking to get to the car). I also didn't like that the trails I took along the water were far-enough away that you didn't see the water much of the time. It was easy enough to get closer and see it, but I would have liked the trail to have been as close as possible to the water.

This is a great state park with pretty easy terrain to check out. *note there are 2 park entrances. We mistakenly accessed it via the entrance that is further south. There aren't as many trails at this end. That being said, I think that entrance is good for people with mobility issues or small kids who don't want a long hike. From the lot, the paths are paved and it's a short walk for some scenic canyon views.We then drove go the other entrance as we wanted a bit more of a hike and to see the old dam. We then hiked a loop that circled the small canyon there that starts below the old dam. It leads up to the old dam and then you cross over and come back on the other side and across then back down. For the fee and scenery we felt like it was a good shorter day hike that didn't require too much driving.

Spent almost three hours today hiking close to five miles around the park. This place is amazing. So much to see. Every time we thought we'd seen it all, we turned a corner and saw something else we hadn't seen before. Lots of elevation throughout the trail, and some parts of the trail aren't even trail. Using the AllTrails app is a must. Can't wait to go back. Simply fantastic.