Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Located just off US-24, Red Rock Canyon Open Space is located near Manitou Springs, on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. Millions of years prior to the formation of Pikes Peak and the rest of the Front Range, Red Rock Canyon was located under a shallow sea, where layers of sediment and sand were becoming the embryonic stages of future sandstone formations.
To carry the analogy too far, the area's teenage years were later defined by the violent & mysterious creation of the Central Rockies, followed by an adulthood of slow erosion forming the area's topography and unique sandstone formations that have drawn humans since the archaic age..
The 1,474 acre Red Rocks Canyon Open Space opened in 2003. Most of the acres are designated for hiking, biking, and horse-back riding, but some land has been set aside for a pavilion, picnic spots, and a free stunt bike ride area.
There are roughly 20 trails within the open space's boundaries. Most of these trails are short and interconnected, making for the possibility of many interesting loop hikes. A couple of the trails connect to other Colorado hiking areas from the Section 16 Trail.
Most of the trails are accessible to horseback riding and biking, but some paths, like the Contemplative Trail are limited to hikers. Two of the trails, the Upper and Lower Dog Loops permit dog owners and their dogs a chance to go off-leash without invoking the chance for fine. Dogs are welcome on the rest of the trails, just with a leash,
Below are descriptions on possible day hikes in Red Rock Canyon. For further and more comprehensive information on Red Rock Canyon Open Space, I highly recommend the Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space website linked below.
Further Online Resources:
Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Trail Map pdf
Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Mountain Chalet: Red Rock Canyon Open Space
To carry the analogy too far, the area's teenage years were later defined by the violent & mysterious creation of the Central Rockies, followed by an adulthood of slow erosion forming the area's topography and unique sandstone formations that have drawn humans since the archaic age..
The 1,474 acre Red Rocks Canyon Open Space opened in 2003. Most of the acres are designated for hiking, biking, and horse-back riding, but some land has been set aside for a pavilion, picnic spots, and a free stunt bike ride area.
There are roughly 20 trails within the open space's boundaries. Most of these trails are short and interconnected, making for the possibility of many interesting loop hikes. A couple of the trails connect to other Colorado hiking areas from the Section 16 Trail.
Most of the trails are accessible to horseback riding and biking, but some paths, like the Contemplative Trail are limited to hikers. Two of the trails, the Upper and Lower Dog Loops permit dog owners and their dogs a chance to go off-leash without invoking the chance for fine. Dogs are welcome on the rest of the trails, just with a leash,
Below are descriptions on possible day hikes in Red Rock Canyon. For further and more comprehensive information on Red Rock Canyon Open Space, I highly recommend the Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space website linked below.
Further Online Resources:
Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Trail Map pdf
Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Mountain Chalet: Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Driving Directions:
From UCCS, turn right onto Austin Bluffs Parkway, Stay On Austin Bluffs Parkway as it turns into Garden of the Gods Rd. From Garden of the Gods Rd, turn left merging onto I-25 headed south in the direction of Pueblo. Get off I-25 at Exit 145, turning right onto West Filmore St. Stay straight as West Filmore St turns into Fontmore Rd, and then as Fontmore Rd turns into West Fontanero St. At the stop sign, turn onto 31st St from West Fontanero St. From 31st St, turn right onto US-24. After just 0.6 miles, turn left onto Ridge Rd and about 500 ft later turn left, passing through a traffic circle to enter Red Rock Canyon Open Space. There is plenty of parking. Driving directions using Google Maps is linked here. |
Mesa - Red Rock Canyon Trail Loop
Distance: Approximately 3.65 miles total
The Mesa Trail rises at an incline Goldilocks might categorize as just right, not too strenuous, but consistent and noticeable. Journeying through bramble oak, yucca, and prickly pear, the upward climb offers views of Pikes Peak and from afar, the open space's sandstone formations. Not long after passing the first intersection with Roundup Trail, the trail sharply turns left and levels out. The high ground offers eastern panoramas of Colorado Springs, including the towering formations found in the nearby Garden of the Gods. Past the intersections with the Section 16 and Greenlee Trails, Mesa Trail briefly descends, intersecting once again with Roundup Trail before coming to a dead end. Turn right, headed down Roundup Trail. Roundup Trail will switchback a couple of times before cutting through a gap between two beautiful sandstone formations. Just past the gap, Roundup Trail meets up with the Red Rock Canyon Trail. Turn left, following the Red Rock Canyon Trail as it descends back down to the parking areas through a valley bordered by towering sandstone formations., including areas bearing hard-angle scars, once mined for pike's peak pink granite. Past the pavilion and man-made ponds, the trail descends down to picnic spots and the western parking lot of the main parking area. Just past the free stunt ride area is the start point for Mesa Trail and the eastern parking area. Red Rock Canyon's trails are well-marked, each intersection possesses signs identifying trail names, and often a park map sign identifying your location. Given the easy navigation, short distance and consistent uphill climb for about half the distance of the 3.65 mile loop hike, this hike is rated as easy on the difficulty scale, Further Online Resources: Cospringstrails.com: Red Rock Canyon Open Space Colorado Photo Hikes: Hiking in Red Rock Canyon |
Sand Canyon - Greenlee Trail Loop
Distance: Approximately 4 miles total
This approximate four mile hike of moderate difficulty level begins by taking Sand Canyon Trail to the Red Rock Canyon Open Space boundary line, passing by beautiful views of some of the open space's natural sandstone sculptures, as well as a tucked out of the way pond. The open space's boundary is not far past the pond. A graffiti-laden "Keep Manitou" sign marks the boundary. At the sign, the path splits, with one way leading up to the Intemann Trail and the other leading down toward a nearby residential neighborhood. Turn left headed up the hillside, passing a nearby green tank protected by a chain link fence. Not far past the green tank, the trail lets up, zigzagging briefly before linking up with the Intemann Trail. Turn left onto Intemann Trail, heading down the eroded stair case, crossing over a small wooden bridge, journeying briefly through shadowy conifer forest, and climbing out of a draw in the hillside into Red Rock Canyon's more familiar terrain of gambel oak and rolling grassland. Shortly after climbing out of the forest, the route comes to another intersection marked by an Intemann Trail sign, continue straight. Very shortly past this intersection, the Section 16 Connector Trail is reached. Turn left, headed down the Section 16 Connector Trail, passing by a bench with expansive views of the eastern plains. The Section 16 Connector links up with Mesa Trail near where Greenlee Trail also connects with Mesa Trail. From here, head down Greenlee Trail, eventually passing by the open space's man-made ponds, before briefly ascending to link-up with Mesa Trail once again. Turn right onto Mesa Trail, headed down to the nearby parking areas. Like most hikes originating from Red Rock Canyon, the route described here, following Sand Canyon Trail to Intemann Trail and then the Greenlee Trail is mostly an uphill adventure for a little over half the trek, with the last part being downhill. Some of the uphill along this route can be steep, esp on Greenlee Trail's downhill. Despite briefly leaving the Red Rock Canyon's boundaries, the route is well marked at intersections and fairly straightforward to navigate. Given the uphill, easy navigation, and short distance of four miles, the difficulty level for the hike is easy-to-moderate. Further Online Resources: Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Open Space Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Trail Map pdf Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space |
Hogback Valley - Lion Trail Loop
Distance: Approximately 3.1 miles total
This approximate 3.1 mile loop hike journeys mostly through open meadow with distant views of Red Rock Canyon's sandstone formations, in addition to Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, & the Garden of the Gods. As noted on the Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space's website linked below, the topography of this portion of the park can be bleak during winter, but rewarding as a wildflower hike during warmer seasons. Lower Hogback Trail begins with a short, steep climb beginning from the southern parking lot of the open space's main parking area. Turn left, along a fairly flat trail after climbing through the gap. After a brief incline, Lower Hogback Trail comes to an intersection marked with a trail sign and map. Veer left headed downhill, following the trail sign indicating the 31st St Trailhead. A trail sign and map mark the right turn onto Hogback Valley Trail. From here, Hogback Valley Trail steadily ascends for about 1.3 miles, getting steeper at the end as the path switchbacks, climbing to a gap and intersection with Lion Trail and another trail. Stay straight, following Lion Trail through a gap in the ridge and then rapidly descending toward it's intersection with Red Rock Rim Trail. On it's descent, the trail offers far off views of the quarry, Rampart Range, and Garden of the Gods. After turning right, Red Rock Rim Trail briefly heads uphill, before mostly descending toward the start point for the hike. Side trails split away to outlooks of the sandstone canyon, man-made ponds, the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. As Red Rock Rim Trail turns away from the cliff side, a side-trail splits left near a bunch of culverts and a pile of boulders. A powerline can be seen prominently in the background of the culverts. Turn left just past the culverts onto an alternate trail for about .3 miles before turning left again, headed toward the gap where the hike first began. This hike incorporates Lower Hogback, Hogback Valley, Lion, and Red Rock Rim Trails, creating a hike approximately 3.1 miles in length. Like most Red Rock Canyon's hikes, the first half is mostly uphill, with the latter half being mostly downhill. This uphill is very reasonable and navigation is fairly easy, with the trails well-marked at intersections with trail signs and often maps. Given these factors, this hike is rated as easy. . Further Online Resources: Friends of Red Rock Canyon Open Space: Trails Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Open Space Springsgov.com: Red Rock Canyon Trail Map pdf Hikingproject.com: Red Rock 3.7 |