Roxborough State Park

Roxborough State Park is located just 40 minutes from Denver and is designed to preserve the natural beauty of this area of red rock formations.  The park focuses on making a minimal impact on the land while preserving the area and providing habitat for birds and other wildlife.  The park has 3, 339 acres of property.  

The park has a small visitor center that provides a few displays about the wildlife and ecosystem in the area. The visitor center is a great place to start your journey and provides guests with restroom facilities.  There is a central courtyard at the visitor's center which is well-designed and is a nice place to sit before or after enjoying one of the hikes in the park.

Most of the park is accessible by hiking paths that explore different portions of the park. Many other activities are not permitted in the park including mountain bikes and horseback riding.  There are nin different trails in the park to explore, for 12.54 miles of hiking available.

Hiking the Fountain Valley trail provides you with the most impressive and closest look at the red rock fins.  This 2.2 mi loop is rated as easy and the trail is wide and very well maintained.  I have enjoyed hiking this trail in the springtime as the flowers are coming out and all the trees are budding.

The South Rim Loop trail is my next recommended trail.  This trail heads south and climbs up to high vistas of the park.  From the top overlooks you get to see the entire park and how it interacts with the urban interface the park was created to protect from.  The trail is about 3 miles in total length and is rated as moderate because of the climb.

Carpenter Peak is a popular trail with serious hikers.  At a little over 6 miles in length, this trail climbs high above the park to the top of Carpenter Peak.  It also connects to other trail systems in the area including Douglas County Open Space, Forest Service, and the Water Canyon trail system.

Wildlife Viewing

When I visited the park in April 2023 I had my binoculars out and followed a large bird that was soaring over the hogback on the east side of the park.  I kept watching the bird soar and dive through the sky until I was fortunate to see it land on the rocks.  As it landed I realized it was a golden eagle landing at its nest and shortly after a second eagle joined the first.  This was an amazing experience to see a nesting pair of eagles.  Other wildlife live in the area so be sure to keep your eyes searching for other wildlife as you explore the trails.

List of Hiking Trails

  • Fountain Valley - 2.2 mi - Easy
  • Willow Creek - 1.45 mi - Easy
  • South Rim - 1.82 mi - Moderate
  • Carpenter Peak - 2.7 mi - Strenuous
  • Carpenter Spur - .45 mi - Moderate
  • Dakota Ridge Overlook - .27 mi - Easy
  • Powerline - 2.4 mi - Strenuous
  • Bear Canyon - .57 mi - Easy
  • Elk Valley - .70 mi - Moderate

Important Information

There is no camping at Roxborough State Park and the park is a day-use-only facility.

The trails at the park are for hiking only.  No mountain biking or horseback riding is allowed at Roxborough.  Also note that dogs are not allowed in the park.

The park hours are 6:00 AM to 8:00PM.  The gate to the park is shut and locked at 8:00 PM so you must be out of the park before it closes.

Resources

Park Website

Roxborough State Park Brochure


**Notes

  • Time is calculated from the REI in downtown Denver.
  • All pictures were taken by Steven Yackel

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