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Mount Falcon Open Space Park
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
5 reviews for Mount Falcon Open Space Park
Mt Falcon is a free open space area in Jefferson county a skip away from Morrison. The drive is curvy and you may easily get lost if your chatting away during your journey. That or plow into a surfboard that doubles as a house marker.
Moderate trails that everyone can enjoy. Families, friends on mountain bikes, 50+ couples walking hand in hand, and happy pups can be found enjoying the fresh mountain air and the spectacular views.
Early worm gets the picnic table that sits near an edge so you feel like you're in the Sound of Music peering off the mountain side upon Denver .
Why do I return? It's close, not overly popular (at least not with my hours), and the memories. feel free to borrow one or two but I'll hunt you down if you make copies of my diary. And no laughing at rainbow bright on the cover ;)
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
Looking for a birds-eye view of Denver? This is the spot. 15 minutes outside of the city, definitely not a far drive. You can see the Redrocks from the top. Lots of people go up here when it's pretty out according to my Denver friend. Lots of people seem to bike this place, which looks pretty fun. We got a good 2 hour hike in, but be sure to bring some water. The paths are really easy so you can definitely bring your parents or kids if you're looking for an easy route.
Carrie R (http://www.yelp.com/us...) and I ended up meeting each other on a trail on the mountain totally unexpected. So, odds are you're going to be seeing lots of Yelpers on this mountain (at least two of them :P).
People thought this was:
- Useful (8)
- Cool (6)
Located near Morrison, this Open Space area is free, and allows dogs on leashes. There are pit toilets, but while the map shows drinking water, I couldn't locate it, so make sure you bring plenty of your own for yourself and your pups.
I only had the opportunity to explore some of the west end of the park. Even on this busy Memorial Day weekend, we managed to find parking there and ate lunch at one of the numerous picnic tables near the Castle Trailhead. There are other picnic tables located at the east entrance, and inside the park, near the junction of Castle and Walker's Dream Trails.
All the trails in this park are multi-use (foot, bike, horse) except the Turkey Trot, which is hiker only, and located on the east side.
The portion of Castle Trail we experienced was wide and only moderately steep in some places. Besides walking through a beautiful meadow, it is nicely forested. I would qualify it as easy, and even saw women pushing sturdy strollers on it.
Just off the Castle Trail, about a half a mile from the west parking, you can see the ruins of John Brisben Walker's mountain castle. Quite a few walls and a tall chimney remain. No parkouring allowed, there's a fence surrounding.
Turn off the Castle Trail to get more of a work-out on Two-Dog Trail (I had two dogs with me, how could I NOT take this trail?) which is narrow and steep. It is only 0.3 miles long, and dead-ends with a beautiful view of downtown Denver in the distance and the plains beyond.
After returning to the Castle Trail, continue heading northeast to find the turn off for Walker's Dream Trail, which leads to the ruins (read, foundation and cornerstone) of the Summer White House. This short trail is similar to the Two-Dog, but with more switchbacks it was a bit easier.
Summer White House, you ask?? I know, it's the first I had ever heard of it, too. You'll have to read up on the history at the website!
From there, follow the sign for a scenic overlook and you can look down onto Red Rocks!
There are many other trails to explore, and you could even take Castle Trail all the way to the other end of the park. Also, apparently there's a tower of some kind atop Mount Falcon itself which allows you to see the ruins, Red Rocks, and the plains, and from Eagle Eye Shelter you can see Indian Hills, Evergreen, and Mount Evans.
An extra bonus for me was meeting a star Yelper on the trail! Had I been thinking, I would have let Michael S. pass me unawares, since I was in fact hauling dog poop on my back, but I was so shocked to recognize him that I said hello. So, sorry about that, Michael.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Cool (5)
I've read the other reviews and don't have much else to add except that this is a great place to come when you need to get out of Denver but don't want to drive too far.
The teenager and I went on a Monday afternoon, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Very nice.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
There is just something about Mt. Falcon that keeps me coming back. People think I am crazy but I actually love the climb up to the picnic bench. I've been riding my mtn. bike there for 4 years now and I still love it like the 1st time. I do avoid it on the weekend because of crowds but during the week it's a great place to ride. Great view of Denver up top as well. I've seen a few rattlers up there so keep an eye out for 'em.