Matthews/Winters-Dakota Ridge Trail

Great simple hike close to Denver, Golden, Morrison etc.You will get bored with it eventually but you can put it into a rotation of other hikes.Great views and easy to get to

This is a great welcome to Denver foothills hike. You've got two options, the high route and the low route so depending on your time allotment and physical ability you've got choices. The parking lot is a decent size but with the burgeoning number of outdoor enthusiasts moving to Denver it's always full early. Carpool or come early or wait to do an early afternoon. You get great views from an out and back with a loop. For the most part, this trail is accessible all year round. Snow and ice add complexity in the winter but often melt and leave some mud. This is not the place to go to find quiet solitude however. It's close and easy to access so Consequently it's always busy. Lots of eager trail runners, and entry-level Hikers and cyclists definitely add density to the experience. Go. Hike. Run. Bike. Enjoy!!

Worth it. Beautiful views of Denver, everything is covered in snow, trails are somewhat steep and slippery, loved everything minute. Bundle up!

Yeah for the great outdoors!Right outside of denver, right off the highway.A number of different options and wonderful views!Creek crossings, some trees, but mostly full sunshine so take care with sunblock and the pups.A good amount of parking, but show up early - other options are the side of the road or the stegasuraus lot.Bathrooms at the trail head are plentiful and have lots of TP.

My new favorite place to hike!I haven't been too ambitious lately with finding new spots to hike thanks to the ever rising price of gas but this place? This place is good. I usually go to Red Rocks but wanted to mix it up a bit and turned into the parking lo instead of heading down the road to Red Rocks. When you make your way over to the trail, it's a bit gradual but then you get on the trail and it's fantastic with rolling trails constantly going up and down. I had my heart rate monitor on and was constantly at a rate that was kicking my butt but didn't leave my breathless. The best part was about 45 minutes into the hike where I stopped and had lunch while taking a look at the beautiful Red Rocks. The way back was easier since I knew what to expect full of people hiking, running, biking, etc. When I got back to my car I looked at my heart rate monitor and burned over 900 calories in under two hours so I was a happy gal.

Such a pretty hike. Right next to the Red Rocks hike (only 30 minutes from downtown Denver), with great views and wildflowers in the summer. About 3 miles out and back, not too difficult.

I joined some MeetIn.org folks for an after-work hike here on a Monday afternoon. We took the Village Walk & Red Rocks trails, which were an out and back. It was an easy-moderate hike, nothing too strenuous, which was great because I was concerned about how well my knee was going to fair. The views are gorgeous and not to be missed! I would highly recommend this hike. Although, it is not a very wide trail and climbing the hill to get off of the trail every 3min for a biker is quite annoying. This would be much more pleasant if more of the trail was hiker-only.

Adding to the two before we took the Red Rocks Trail and it was a great ride. Our two kids (10 &13) came with and while we had to hike a bike a few sections for the most part it was just hard enough to keep it fun. We made it to where the Morrison Slide Trail meets up and then just retraced our steps. Hikers, runner and other mtn bikers that we've encountered here have all been really courteous and minding the trail maps to preserve the integrity of the trail. This really is a great hiking/running trail.My only complaint, and it's a small one, is the heavily graveled trail that leads to the actual trail. It's fine for hikers but man! I hate how slidy it is on my bike. That is scary than the rocky part farther up. Also, bring lots of water. There is no shade and on a warm day you notice!

Trail running rocks. This course is a bit tough if you're used to Denver's flat, paved streets and even sidewalks. But worth it if you like to kick your own arse. Lots of mountain bikers too but they are courteous to runners. Lots of hills and stuff. Fun run. You can split it up too and do just Matthews/Winters for a nice 3.5 mile or so run. Take water if you're going to do the Ridge too- it's about 7 miles altogether, I think.

Good place to get some trail running, biking, or walking in!!! Can sometimes be technical on a mtn. bike but very fun!! This trail does get busy though during the hotter months. Best time to go is early morning or early afternoon!!!