I had a great hike at Dawson Butte Ranch the past Sunday (Oct 11, 2020) with my friend and highly…read morerecommend this place for a hike with your friends/family/pooch! This is a spacious place that only has a loop (about 5 miles all the way from the start to finish) so you will never get lost there. It's got some shades so despite the name you will be able to rest and catch some breath in a shaded area if you don't want to be in the sun. The trail is moderate and is mainly sandy which I liked; it's not too burdensome for your knees if you have knee problem. We also saw people with horses and donkeys so there should be some horse/donkey riding place where they offer such service (watch out for their droppings on the trail!) It also offers beautiful views of nearby buttes and you will be able to take great pictures there. Can't wait to go back there again!

Many parts of this hike are desolate & near the road. During this stretch no trees so it's HOT!…read moreMany people here with horses don't have to clean up after but if you have your dog you do!

Absolutely wonderful trail for biking with great signage along the way. Beautiful scenery and…read morewildlife. Definitely would recommend this trail.

I love rollerblading on this trail I also love walking and…read morebiking here It's beautiful and safe

We parked off 83 and it was a short walk to the bridge. There were people riding horses and…read morewalking dogs. Righter after the bridge is the paved bike path. This path had tons of prairie dogs and they were all chirping at each other. I'll have to update this review after I go through the Mesa Rim loop, but for this time around it was just a casual walk without many sights.

We parked at the #2 Trailhead off Castle Oaks Drive. There are only about 10 spaces, but this lot…read morehas a bathroom, trashcan, and dog bags. We chose this trail because its only about 2.8mi to do the Mesa Rim Loop trail v the Cherry Creek Trail to the loop (about 6 mi). This hike is very exposed to the elements so come prepared (hat, water, sunglasses, layers in non-summer). There are lots of prairie dogs along the trail, but that also means rattlesnakes and coyotes, so please keep your dog on leash despite the wide open temptation to let them run free. There are also many cyclists on the trail. The trail is well-marked with great views of the mountains and is easy enough for young kids, too.

Awesome park with a variety of activities for families and friends! They have a mountain bike park…read morefor beginners and experienced levels to practice in; disc golf, several kids' playground, public bathrooms, and sports field for soccer and baseball. Great spot to spend the day with family and friends! Definitely coming back here!

The Village Greens mountain bike trail is a great place for beginners and I'm sure some of the more…read moreexperienced riders, although I wouldn't be able to speak to that since I'm not one. Did you have a mix of easy and more moderate obstacles. We parked at the Dayton station rtd parking lot which seems to be closer for toddlers to make it over to the park compared to the other parking lot. I had great fun as a beginner mountain biker and the kids on their strider as well as my almost 5-year-old had a ton of fun. It got hot fast so I would definitely recommend bringing water and maybe snacks.

Our guides were helpful, friendly and just perfect. They introduced us to all the gear and the ways…read moreto act in the best possible ways and therefore made sure, that we enjoy the experience as much as possible. You are told that every single attendant, under every circumstances, needs a waterbottle. If you are sporty enough there no reason to more or less pressure people to buy plastic bottles or carabiners.

so much fun!! the whole family had an amazing experience. the guides were helpful and funny and…read moremade everyone so comfortable. would definitely do it again

This is a Beautiful hike , about 8km round trip. It is a shared trail with bikes, so you need to be…read moreaware of bikers coming down or up the hill , but it was not a big deal. The views and wildlife opportunities are worth it and you get a workout to go along . Plenty of parking options at the beginning of the trail too.

I went this past Sunday. I had previously visited early in the pandemic in June 2020. I walked…read morearound the Mesa in 3hrs recording 7 miles with dew people hiking. This time I went to Golden Cliffs trailhead on the south side. There were two trails (0.4 & 0.8 miles). The shorter looked more difficult indicating a steep climb to the rim. I chose the longer one. I was wrong. The 0.8 mile trail was less used and I had trouble finding the trail. I took several dead-ends that brought me to the base of the cliff for climbing routes using ropes & pitons. I eventually made the entire distance in 1.5 hrs. The trail map at the trailhead said most difficult and it was right. Once on top I took the North Table Loop trail 0.3 miles to Tilting Mesa trail. I hiked another 0.3 miles to Rim Rock trail (1.7 mile) which is a big loop going to the north rim. Weather was rolling in with heavier clouds and wind. On a clear day it would be hot. I took a video at the north rim at the 2nd highest spot on 6,551 ft. The highest is Lichen Peak at 6,552 ft. I finished the loop and headed back west. There are no restrooms/porta potties or water on the mesa top. So I descended to the west parking lot. The 0.4 mile segment is probably at 6-8% grade. I looked at the trail map. I could go back up to the top and negotiate the steeper route (0.4 miles) to the Golden Cliffs trailhead where I parked my car or take a circuitous trail (1.3 miles) along the west and south side. Very scenic and the trail was clearly visible. I startled a mule deer. So if your looking for a good hike, start on the west side and get to top for a level hike. Several trails go down the east side to access other trails including one that takes you to New Terrain Brewing.

Really neat and easy hike! The trail is completely paved and about 2 miles round trip, though a…read moregood portion is uphill, so you'll definitely get a little workout. It was really cool seeing the dinosaur fossils and footprints preserved in the rocks, and there are informational signs along the way explaining what you're looking at, which made it even more interesting. The trail is pet friendly, but there is very little shade, so it gets extremely hot during the day. Make sure the pavement isn't too hot for your dog's paws, and bring plenty of water for both you and your pup. We went during the day and were glad we came prepared. Overall, it's a unique stop that's definitely worth visiting, especially if you're interested in dinosaurs or looking for a short, easy hike with great history.

Next time I may pay for the tour bus instead but just couldn't stomach $30 a head. We hiked up to…read morethe main Croc River sighting area and definitely saw a lot. Thinking all the events happened millions of years ago and during the Cretaceous Era when much of what we saw was under water. Since clouds, thunder and lightning were approaching, the staff warned us about the potential of being called back. Thankfully once we hit the trail the weather was good other than being cloudy. Saw a lot, learned a lot and experienced the wonderful world of hiking uphill. haha. Definitely worth it and will be back soon to check out the entire ridge!

I wanted some vibes like Garden of the gods but did not want the crowds so I checked out Red Rock…read moreCanyon Open Space! I was really impressed with this open space. Parking was easy, they had plenty of spots while I was visiting. They've got something for everyone! Hiking trails, bike park/paths, rock climbing (permit needed), an off leash dog park. I specifically went for the hiking trails. They were great for my 4 year old. When I go with him I try to look for trails under 3 miles. My only complaint is I wish they had real bathrooms by the parking lot. The porta potty was pretty gross. P.s. you can see garden of the gods from this park! They are pretty close to each other!

Colorado is the healthiest state in the US (this is fact, you can look this up on the CDC website)…read moreand I can see why. With such amazing hiking available, that is free to residents and visitors, all over the state, it encourages you to get outside and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. Red Rock Canyon Open Space has a series of canyons and ridges sculpted by erosion of the area's uplifted rock strata. The ridges and canyons offer beautiful views that are photo worthy for those wanting to post to their social media (or hey, just keeping these photo keepsakes in your own camera roll is also fine too). Red Rock Canyon Open Space is dog friendly, with some off leash areas (where noted), and 11 trails that you can hike. The trails are anywhere from 1.7 miles to 5.4 miles, with a lot of pretty easy trails for those that are not as active but still want to partake in the journey. You can also see views of Garden of the Gods, which is nearby. Red Rock Canyon Open Space is not nearly as busy as Garden of the Gods (but highly recommend a visit there too, which is also dog friendly). From May 1 and Oct. 31, you can enter Red Rock Canyon Open Space between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.; during the rest of the year, the park closes at 9 p.m. There is free parking available and also one porta potty at the beginning of the trail (but I did not use it) and also trash cans (I did not see trash cans anywhere else in this open space). My husband and I visited Red Rock Canyon Open Space with our little girl dog. We came on a Sunday afternoon, a little after 1 pm. It was an overcast day, which was nice. But it was rather busy but not crowded. We were able to find a parking spot without any trouble. We only did 2 light trails but enjoyed the views. The trails we had were pretty easy for the most part. We also did see a handful of dogs during our visit. Please note that there is hardly any shade so make sure you plan accordingly (hat to shade your face, plenty of water, etc).

We did a 6 or so mile hike. The views were okay, but what I liked the most were the rocks on the…read moretrail (smaller ones that were red, orange, yellow, clear, and metallic). We did this in the snow, so wearing spikes helped. The trail was shaded a lot, which would be great in the summer.

Some nice Trails although not the most challenging…read more Easy to get to from Denver. Great facilities for parking and bathrooms. Rawhide trail is a very pleasant trail to enjoy.

This is the best park we've ever been to! We easily make the drive up from Colorado Springs just to…read morevisit this park. It's super clean with lots of areas to sit and even picnic. There's so much for kids to do and explore. My toddler loves the small kid's playground area. Others have had issues with the parking situation, but we have had no problems.

This was a pretty cool park, but the zipline was down when we were there. There's a great seating…read morearea where you can monitor the kids with clear visibility to the main structure. The kids enjoyed all of the park, which was clean and had plenty of parking when we were there. There's a school nearby and some games (tennis and baggo/corn-hole) off to the sides.