Mount Falcon Park
Hiking at Mount Falcon Park | Denver, Colorado | September 2024
On our first afternoon/evening in Denver, we rested during the hottest part of the day, then went out for dinner and a sunset hike with Charlotte. By the time we returned to the hotel, my parents had arrived after driving all day from Iowa, and Charlie lost her mind over them being there. They were staying down the hall from us, which meant that for the rest of the weekend anytime she walked out of our room and caught the scent of them in the hallway or elevator, she would start frantically searching for them. After hanging out for a bit with them that evening, we all retired for the evening with plans to get up and go hiking in the morning to beat the heat.
The next day, we drove together to Mount Falcon Park and parked at the West trailhead, North of Indian Hills. We decided to leave Charlotte behind this morning so that we could actually get a good hike in at a reasonable speed. But don’t worry, we gave her plenty of walks going from our hotel to the nearby park and back. We began our walk on the Castle Trail, which started off mostly level on a well maintained trail. While the trail itself was beautiful with views of surrounding peaks, mesas, and flatland to the East, there were also several other features along the way that made it interesting. The first that we came to was the Walker Mansion Ruins. The ruins were once the home of a millionaire in the early 1900s, until it was struck by lightning and burned down in 1916.
After taking time to read the signs and check out the ruins, we continued heading North on the Castle Trail up to the Northernmost viewpoint. Along the way, we enjoyed many views and though this was all new to us, we were still able to point out some landmarks: Mt. Blue Sky, the nearest 14er, Green Mountain, the mesa to the Northeast, and were even able to see parts of the Red Rock Amphitheater in the valley. We also enjoyed seeing pockets of orange from the aspen trees on other peaks — we were surrounded by pines here, and at a lower elevation, so no fall colors on this trail.
We made it to the Northernmost vista, and also to the Summer White House ruins. This was merely just an idea for a summer White House that Presidents could enjoy in Colorado that was started construction, but never completed. They did complete the cornerstone plaque though, which still exists in this spot.
Next, we retraced our steps back South on the Castle Trail, then turned off on the Meadow Trail, which we took to the Tower Trail. The Tower Trail was the steepest part of the whole hike as it ascended to the peak of Mt. Falcon. The peak is tree-covered, but there’s a short tower that offers a bit of a view in some directions. We stopped here to catch our breath before completing our loop hike.
In my opinion, the best view of the hike was at the Eagle Eye shelter off of Tower Trail. It offered unobstructed views to the West into the heart of the Rockies, with peeks of fall colors here and there, a bit of snow on Mt. Blue Sky, and lots of evergreen and rocks everywhere else. Nothing like saving the best view for last! After this, we finished up the Tower Trail then returned to the parking lot. It was warming up at this point, and the trail was much busier, so we were thankful for our early start. We headed back to the hotel, where we took Char for her walk, then relaxed the rest of the afternoon until it was time for the rehearsal dinner.
If you’re interested, check out our trail recording for this hike here.
