I see a stigma between those who full-time RV, and those who don’t. It’s ‘as if’, those who full-time have it made…they are off seeing the world, and those of us with jobs that don’t allow us to work remotely are passed over. I think this is bogus, and there are plenty of wonderful things to see right where you are!!
Adventuring it more about discovering what is around you than going to far off places. Those are great as well. I want my kids to have a love for adventure, but never feel like they are missing out because the adventure is not on the beach, or 2000 miles away.
Last year, when I had my fashion truck, I was driving home from a home party, and talking to a friend. All of a sudden, I was in the most enchanting place in the world! “Oh, you must be at Castlewood Canyon,” she said nonchalantly. You see, I get super excited about little things, so I was aghast that she was cool cucumber. It was amazing! Glorious. Enchanting!
Fast forward to a weekend where we weren’t doing much, the kids and I set off for an adventure. They didn’t know where we were going. “We’re going to go for a hike to a really cool place.” “Where?!” “Near Parker”. Blank stares. Hike and Parker were not really synonymous. Hike and mountains go together, but not hike and a city.
We were off.
Castlewood Canyon is about an hour south east of Denver. Technically, Castlewood Canyon is in Franktown (which makes it further south than Parker).
When we arrived, the kids were relatively unimpressed. “This is it?!” Evidently I built it up…they may have envisioned a Disney castle in the middle of a forest. No matter. *I* was going to soak this up.
Before we get too deep in this, I will say, pictures really do not do this justice. You will just have to go and experience it for yourself!
There are a few trails you can take. There are many trails that are handicap accessible. The first we took was a hop, skip and a jump from where we parked: Bridge Canyon Overlook. The overlook is off the hook. So stunning!!!
The kids came around and saw the light. They were hooked.
Are you hooked now, too?!
We set off on a longer hike. The Canyon View Trail starts off as paved. As it twists and turns, each corner brings a new view of the Canyon, and is just as epic as the last. Was it built this way? I don’t know.
We took a detour to Inner Canyon. The enchantment continued. At any moment, it seemed as though a Hobbit or fairy would pop out of the rocks.
The view from the bottom of the canyon.
Stairs down to “Fairyville” – our unofficial name down into Inner Canyon.
We didn’t make it to the end of the line…we pooped out shortly after the large rock. Our unexacting measurements, compliments of Apple’s step tracker was that we had walked about a mile (The map says longer…so take your pick)…Child 1 had been at Boy Scout camp the day before, and exhaustion was setting in. Rather than go further, we went back. It was not the world’s longest hike…but we were throughly tired when we got back to the car. (We took a detour because Child 2 thought she saw the parking lot.)
Whether you are a local, or from out of town, this is a Colorado treasure. I’ve lived in Colorado nearly my whole life, and I don’t recall having ever gone to Castlewood Canyon before.
Some tips: Be sure to carry water. It wasn’t terribly hot, but you’ll want to stop for little breaks along the way down and up.
It would be really fun to have a picnic by the creek in Inner Canyon, however there aren’t picnic tables.
The Stats:
Campsite: none. This was a day trip. Castlewood Canyon does not have camping or overnight parking available. Cherry Creek State Park is the nearest camping.
Cost: $7 if you don’t have a state park pass
Weather: warm, upper 80’s/low 90’s
Elevation: 6,161 ft (Franktown)
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5 out of 5)
Helpful Links: Castlewood Canyon State Park
Map of the park
