In late May of this year the state of Colorado opened it's 42nd state park just north of State Highway 285, about thirty minutes from the heart of Lakewood. Wednesday afternoon was calm and clear, which made it a perfect day to explore this latest addition to Colorado's treasure chest of natural wonders.
The park is just shy of 4,000 acres, and was made possible by the generous bequest of 1,720 acres of beautiful mountain and high-altitude meadow by Francis H. Staunton in 1986, and with the purchase of an additional 2,148 surrounding acres since 1986 by the Colorado State Parks dept. (made possible by Great Outdoors Colorado Legacy grants and money from the Colorado Lottery) and the State Land Board (They in turn lease it to Colorado Parks & Wildlife).
I should mention that, as it is a state park, there is a fee to enter - $7.00 per car unless you have your annual Colorado Parks pass ($70.00 for unlimited park usage).
In 1898, Doctor Archibald G. Staunton married Doctor Rachel Hornbrook Bullard in Maryland, thus creating what had to be a very rare power couple for that day and age. In 1903, when their only child, a daughter named Francis, was 4 years old, they made their way west intending to practice medicine in California.
Like a lot of people (to this very day), they arrived in Denver, took a look around and decided to stay.
The Staunton Ranch was built gradually over the years by the Staunton family, first as a summer home and eventually, when they built several cabins on the property that they could rent out, as a resort. The Staunton family also leased land to a lumber mill, and the remnants of that operation are still visible.
When her father died in 1958 (having been predeceased by his wife 12 years earlier), Francis Staunton took over the ranch. She spent the next 34 years maintaining the ranch as it had stood since the mid - '40's, and upon her passing in 1986 it was gifted to the state of Colorado with the stipulation that the area be preserved "...as a natural wilderness-type park."
That cabin in the woods those kids never returned from? Right there
Francis H. Staunton's request has been followed to the letter.
The Staunton Ranch Trail is wide and flat for it's entire 3.3 miles. As you hike further into the park you are gaining altitude, but the increase is over such a long section of the trail it is barely noticeable.
Climbing access for the sheer rocky cliffs thataway...fortunately, sanity rules the day
The trail skirts along impressive rock formations that are available for climbing should one be so insane inclined. Uh, climbing means hands, feet, and temporary stanchions only, as bolting and fixed protection is not allowed.
The trail is so wide in areas that it is pretty much a dirt road. In fact, many of the larger trails were jeep roads or service roads before the park was created.
Central Colorado has seen abundant rain over the past few weeks, which means every wildflower under the sun is blooming, and the hills are green with long grass. If you have ever wanted to hike a trail that is a virtual kaleidoscope of color, you may want to consider spending a day in Staunton Ranch park.
The Bugling Elk Trail leads to the Elk Falls Overlook
I have no idea where my Colorado Gazetteer currently is, but I'm going to have to find it. The park has views of many prominent peaks, and it would be great to be able to identify them. I'm fairly certain the peak in the above photo is Black Mountain..or maybe it's Shadow Mountain...dang.
Walking along the trail and passing large seemingly pristine open meadows it is difficult to imagine that this area was once a working ranch.
Occasionally though you see a long-ago abandoned cabin or rusted piece of farm equipment left behind in a field that gives evidence to the life that was once lived in this wilderness.
At the end of the Bugling Elk Trail is a small pond where fishing is allowed, but not swimming nor boating. The pond is not much more than an acre of water, if that, but it is situated at the far end of a picturesque little valley, and there is one of the many older cabins at the far end of the pond, near the bend where Lion's Back Trail begins.
The cabin is closed up now, but it isn't hard to imagine how fantastic it must have been to be able to leave the heat of a Denver summer 60 or 70 years ago and relax in the cool mountain air while enjoying a freshly caught fish dinner.
The remaining 1 mile journey to the Elk Falls Overlook along Lion's Back Trail is a little steeper than the previous 4.4 miles of the Staunton Ranch and Bugling Elk Trails. Fortunately, it is through somewhat dense forest and there is plenty of shade.
Lions Back Trail ends at the base of the Elk Falls Overlook. Scrambling another 250 feet gets you to the overlook, and the view is nothing short of phenomenal.
Worth every single step of the hike.
The waterfall itself is on the opposite wall of the valley, at least a good half-mile from the viewing area. There are plans to build a trail that will go from the Elk Falls Pond to the base of Elk Falls, but for now this spectacular view is all we get.
From the Elk Falls Overlook the horizon appears to be well over a 100 miles away. The valley floor where the Elk Falls Ranch once was sprawls out below, and Pike's Peak can easily be discerned on the far southern horizon.
The Overlook itself is a fairly small area, and care should be taken when you're up there, as a misstep could be ugly.
Walking back...there should be more downhill trail
The sun was casting long shadows by now, and I knew I had to head back to the park entrance. The trails do not loop, so it's basically a backtrack out.
When I first entered the park I took the most direct route possible to get to the Elk Falls Overlook in the shortest time possible. However, there are alternate trails, and as I walked out I pondered the idea of taking one of those back to the trailhead.
The Bugling Elk Trail meets the Border Line Trail just before the Staunton Ranch Trail, and I decided to take the BL route back as it offered another overlook, with the view from this one being more to the north and northwest.
The Border Line Trail starts out as a steady ascent up a fairly well groomed trail, but soon becomes a narrow and at times rocky path. This is a trail that Mountain Bikers love, as it is far more challenging that the broad, clear path of the primary trails.
This is the roughest trail so far...and toughest
It's 1.5 miles up the Border Line Trail to the Staunton Rocks Overlook, then another 1/10th of a mile of rather coarse trail to the overlook itself.
As with the view from the Elk Falls Overlook, the panorama offered by the Staunton Rocks overlook is spectacular, though more of the park is encompassed from this view; to the north, west, and south.
The valley opens up directly below you, and the Lion's Head prominence can be seen to the southwest.
The moon was now more distinct in the sky as the sun began to dip towards the western horizon. There was still plenty of light to enjoy the incredible view though, and to get a few pics of this incredible park and the surrounding area.
The Staunton Rocks are a collection of huge jagged rock outcroppings that appear rounded from this vantage point, but are actually the cliff faces that climbers scamper up.
Some thoughtful person left a folding chair on the trail for the road weary
It is another mile along the Border Line Trail to the site of the Old Mill, and while the majority of the mile is fairly level, there are still a few steep ascents as well as descents. it's switchback city, pretty much.
The site of a turn of the century lumber mill
There isn't much left of the Old Mill. It almost looks like it was dropped from a considerable height and left where it landed.
The old bunkhouse for the lumber operation is still standing, and there are a number of rusted bits and pieces of old machinery laying about.
The Border Line Trail, the Old Mill Trail, and the Mason Creek Trail converge at the site of the old mill, and if I had had more time, I would have taken the Mason Creek Trail back to the park entrance. However, it is 4.5 miles in length, and taking the Old Mill Trail down to where it intersects with the Staunton Ranch Trail shaves a little more than a mile off of that.
The moon was up and the sun was down, time to skeedaddle
As it was, I barely got out of the park before closing - fact is, the Park Ranger was patiently waiting on me, as I was the last one out.
The trails I took in (Staunton Ranch to Bugling Elk to Lion's Back) and the trails I took out (Lion's Back to Bugling Elk to Border Line to Old Mill to Staunton Ranch) totaled close to 12 miles. Needless to say, I was fairly spent.
However, the hike was well worth my while, and I highly recommend it to everyone. You would be hard pressed to find hiking trails through such a gorgeous mountain region this close to Denver.
Be sure to bring plenty of water when you go (I brought 3 liters) and maybe a protein bar or two - it's going to take at least 5 hours to cover the ground I did, much longer if you also hike the Davis Ponds, Marmot Passage, or Mason Creek Trails.
Oh, and bring a hat. It's cooler up there than in the city, but the sun is still blazing.
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