Mount Falcon Park (Morrison, CO) – trailmap
Trails traveled Castle Trail, Meadow Trail, Tower Trail, Difficulty: Blue (Moderate)
Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
Weather: 55 °F, Overcast, Cloudy
Out-and-back trail, 3.5 miles one-way, 7 miles round-trip.

Hike Recap:

• Refreshing
• Cleared my head
• Stunning views of Denver and surrounding mountains, area
• Snow, mud
• Legs are a “good sore”
• Needed more water (packed about 24 oz.)
• Crowded parking lot

I love living in Colorado. I love living so close to the Rocky Mountains. I love that just a 30 minute drive from the house I can be up almost 8,000 feet in elevation. Colorado is a great place to live Spring, Summer and Fall, and even in the Winter the weather is usually mild. If you are into Winter sports, you can ski, snowboard, snowmobile, snowshoe, and much more less than two or three hours from the Denver metro area.

It’s a wonderful place to be and a beautiful place to live. Now that the temperatures are warming, it was upwards of 60 °F most of the day, it’s a great time of the year to get outside and enjoy the mountains that border Denver to the West.

Today I went for a hike at Mount Falcon Park in Jefferson County. There are two trailheads, one on the East side, access from Morrison, very close to Red Rocks Ampitheater (pictured above), and the other to the West side, access from Indian Hills. The East parking lot is a good two-and-a-half miles from the “peak” area of Mount Falcon. It is rated as a moderate “Blue” trail with strenuous stretches mostly up to get the rest of the hikes and things to do at the park.

The hike from the West trailhead is much closer and much less strenuous. Castle trail and Meadows trail on the west side of the park are rated as easy “Green” trails. Less than a mile from the trailhead gets you to the park’s main “attractions,” including Eagle Eye Shelter, the summit of Mount Falcon, and the Walker Home Ruins.

Both trailheads have restrooms (without running water) and various benches and picnic shelters to have lunch or a snack before or after your hike. If you want to do the hike yourself, download the trailmap here.

Today’s hike was just what I needed. Some crisp, fresh, mountain air, nice exercise, and lots of “alone” time to clear my head. Throughout the hike I stopped several times to rest, to listen, to look, and to be present to all the splendor surrounding me. I am so thankful I live here. I took lots of pictures along the way (including the ones above and below), I wrote new poetry, and I just spent time checking in with myself, and praying as I hiked along. It wasn’t anything formal, just being with the Creator.

I wrote enough poetry to post a new poem each day all week! That might not surprise you as I do post new poetry daily (in most cases), but it was such a beautiful time to enjoy the mild weather, the trees, the mountains, the views, and even some of the fellow hikers passing by along the way.

I plan to post every once in awhile, maybe every month about new adventures and excursions, especially on trips outdoors to various areas, hikes, and other fun places I find myself. I will tag them #journey as I have in the past, to continue to document my journey, now as a single person. It’s weird, but I feel like this time around, being single, I appreciate it more than I did when I was younger. I think it has a lot to do with new boundaries I am establishing for myself too. I am also recognizing and taking care of my own needs better than I did when I was married.

Thanks for reading 😉

– Jason