After exploring several amazing hiking trails located not too far from Denver, Colorado I decided to document them all in a blog to share with others living in and visiting the Denver area who are after a rewarding hike without much driving time. Because, let's be honest, are you wanting more time on the trail or rolling on asphalt? Yes, some hikes and mountains are worth driving to and I did spend two of my days during my recent visit going up to Rocky Mountain National Park, more on those trails in a future post.
I live basically at sea level in central Massachusetts and take all of my breathing and easy access to abundant oxygen for granted. I knew visiting Colorado would be a challenge due to the elevation but it wasn't until hit twice with altitude sickness did I start to take acclimating to the high altitude more serious. Now on my yearly summer trips to Colorado (with much gratitude to my sister's family warm welcome) I put to practice the advice for warming up to about 1,000 feet of elevation per day. My first day on this trip I did 6 miles of walking in the neighborhood to get use to breathing again just at 6,000 feet of elevation. The next day I went on a hike recommended by my sister in Golden right near the Red Rocks Park.
After dropping my sister off at work I drove over to one of Jefferson County's many open space parks, Matthews/Winters Park. There was plenty of parking, a restroom, boot scrubbers, and great signage showing maps of the park, warning signs of animal activity, and some history about the area.
The parking was near the intersection of routes 70 and 93 about 30 minutes west of Denver. The highest elevation is about 7,200 feet so would help me reach my goal of adding another 1000 feet of elevation.
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| friendly trail mate |
The beginning of the trail, "Village Walk", led to a bridge over a small stream and near some picnic areas. A few small children were playing in the stream and the shade was nice and cool. It would be the last shade experienced on the trail for quite some time. I followed the trail to the "Red Rocks Trail" and followed that up to the "Morrison Slide". The trail up to the slide was easy to follow and smooth with a slow increase in elevation. As Colorado had been blessed with a very rainy spring and early summer the park was extremely green and covered in many types of wildflowers. Such a pretty park. There is a nice sitting rock before you reach the Red Rocks Trail and here I was joined by a blue bug that resembled a lady bug. It was quite friendly and insisted on sitting on my arm until I convinced it to sit on the rock for a picture. I was happy to sit here and drink some cool water as the trail was getting hot now. It was only 8:30 am and the temperature was already approaching 90.
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| At about 7,200 feet and Red Rocks Park in the background |
As I started up the Morrison Slide a young man running back down with his dog mentioned to me that he saw a Rattlesnake on the switch backs about a 1/4 mile up. This news both scared and excited me. I would kind of liked to have seen a snake on the trail but also didn't want any bad encounters. Cautiously, I eyed the trail and around every rock all the while making obnoxious noise with my hiking poles. Just wanted to make sure all the creatures knew I was approaching. Mentally I prepared for a possible bite as well, not much was in my first aid kit but my SOS InReach was charged if I needed it. The hike would prove uneventful and I never heard or saw the scaled being. The hike did cross two more shaded streams where I paused for the brief relief from the sun. I was running low on water and neglected to pack a filter. There were a few people on the higher elevations enjoying the views and hawk activity. At the southern end of the Morrison Slide you can see the Red Rocks Park. A group of young ladies volunteered to take my picture and I in turn took theirs.
The switch backs on both sides of the Morrison Slide were not very steep and easy to navigate. There were several trail runners out as well as a few bikers. The trail is definitely manageable for all travelers. I would recommend plenty of water or a filter (not sure if the streams are reliable throughout the summer though). Also this trail would be best in the morning or evening when temperatures are more pleasant. Additionally, there was warning sign about a trail runner who lost his life on this trail due to a lightening storm so know the weather and watch the sky as there are few places of shelter . The hike back to the car was fun as I interacted with a few fellow hikers and also enjoyed seeing children scramble to climb up the big boulder on the Village Walk Trail. I felt great and so empowered to explore some more of Colorado in the days to come. I was also extremely thirsty and out of water so headed to a nearby town to grab some water and also enjoyed a large sweet tea at Chik-fil-A. Love sitting in the restaurant listening to praise music and being grateful to God for my health to keep hiking and safety while on the trails.
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| "When life pushes you down, get back up and reach for the sky." -my hiking buddy Chrissy :) |
Thanks for reading. Now go outside and explore something new from the Creator!
https://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/matthews-winters-park/
The parking was near the intersection of routes 70 and 93 about 30 minutes west of Denver. The highest elevation is about 7,200 feet so would help me reach my goal of adding another 1000 feet of elevation. 
The switch backs on both sides of the Morrison Slide were not very steep and easy to navigate. There were several trail runners out as well as a few bikers. The trail is definitely manageable for all travelers. I would recommend plenty of water or a filter (not sure if the streams are reliable throughout the summer though). Also this trail would be best in the morning or evening when temperatures are more pleasant. Additionally, there was warning sign about a trail runner who lost his life on this trail due to a lightening storm so know the weather and watch the sky as there are few places of shelter . The hike back to the car was fun as I interacted with a few fellow hikers and also enjoyed seeing children scramble to climb up the big boulder on the Village Walk Trail. I felt great and so empowered to explore some more of Colorado in the days to come. I was also extremely thirsty and out of water so headed to a nearby town to grab some water and also enjoyed a large sweet tea at Chik-fil-A. Love sitting in the restaurant listening to praise music and being grateful to God for my health to keep hiking and safety while on the trails.
The scenery looks beautiful.
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