Red Rock Canyon open Space was established in 2003 as a huge public park by the city of Colorado Springs. There is so much ground to cover that you can take any variation of the trails without ever being disappointed. The trail options range from easy to moderately difficult. You could easily spend the day walking one trail to the next without seeing all the trails.
One of my favorite trails to take involves walking up the carved out stairs. On the way to those stairs you will pass a man made lake. The lake has a few resident ducks and on occasion I have seen people or dogs taking a swim. At some point someone decided gold fish should be introduced to the pond. You will see them enjoying a swim as well.
There are plenty of rock formations that look like they would be fun to climb. Resist the urge to scramble up the rocks as it is not allowed without a permit. If you have never taken the time to scale a rock but would love to try there are businesses that will help you learn.
Now back to those stairs. Even thought the stairs will be like a rock climbing event no permit is need to climb up them and into the carved out section of the rock. At one point the park was part of a quarry. Much of the rock face was strategically cut out leaving a unique and visually interesting place to sit and enjoy as you recover from making your way up the stairs.
The park is dog friendly and offers sections that are leash free and leash required. Horses are allowed on the trail so beware of occasional horse pooh land mines. The trails are mountain bike friendly but not dirt bike friendly. The people on the mountain bikes are courteous and will let you know when they are coming up behind you.
If you would like to learn more about the history of Red Rock Canyon Open Space before it was acquired by the city visit
ColoradoSprings.gov. To see a map of all the trails and different routes you can take
Friends of Red Rock Canyon has a very detailed one you can review.
No comments:
Post a Comment