Would be 5 stars if the bathrooms didn't smell like a litter box lol BUT at least they're there for…read morean emergency! Loves of picnic seating near the parking lot. The trail is so nicely paved and wide! Super easy and good for a first time Colorado trip. Definitely more of a walk than a hike! Would revisit immediately! The town of golden is also so cute and worth the visit!

Came here for Father's Day. Plenty of parking if you arrive early. By the time I left at 10am…read moreparking was limited. Tons of people having a picnic and fishing off the edge of the river. The water was extremely high and fast flowing because of all the snow and rain we have gotten so make sure to watch your little ones and pets. This trail does have an option that is paved and wheelchair friendly however there is limit shade. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. No tubing or prospecting allowed.

What a great spot here in Lakewood for a stroll, a run, or to walk your dog. You can fish here too…read more It has its own dedicated parking lot, conveniently located near a Starbucks if you want to grab a beverage afterwards. It even offers a nice view of the Denver skyline as you're walking around the one mile-ish loop. I'd make this my daily routine if I lived here.

The Main Reservoir is a beautiful large body of water that sits in the southwest corner of Lakewood…read moresurrounded buy scenic mountains on one side and a partially paved muti-use trail encompassing the main portion of the water. It a very good spot to go and have a relaxing day, have a picnic, or enjoy the beauty of nature in all of its splendor.

This neat little cheese shop has various cheeses from around the world tucked neatly into a cute…read morelittle shop. The sandwiches are amazing and I would highly recommend all of them. The owner is very kind and will help you in all kinds of situations from creating party platters to choosing the right blend of cheeses for a recipe.

Highly highly recommend for all cheese lovers!! Their cheese is the best and they have such a great…read moreselection! They were also great at helping us decide on pairings with the wine we planned to open and even let us taste a couple before purchasing. Have also tried their cheese box in the past and devoured it.

Flying J Ranch Park is close enough to my house to be easy, but mentally it feels worlds away…read more That's the whole trick. You don't have to make a big Colorado production out of it. Drive to Conifer, get out of the car, and let the city brain loosen its grip. It's also not overrun. Parking is limited, and honestly, that may be part of the charm. It keeps Flying J from turning into one of those Front Range hiking scenes where the parking lot feels like a Subaru convention sponsored by REI. The bathrooms deserve their own mention. They are the cleanest park bathrooms I have experienced. Bring a wipe for your hands and you're good to go. The main walk is Shadow Pine Loop, which is about three miles and easy enough for anyone who wants a real walk without signing up for punishment or humiliation. Go left to right, clockwise, east to west, or whatever directional language works for you. I give directions like a city kid, you'll figure it out. The trail draws a mix of people: parents with young kids burning off energy, older folks, meaning older than me, on group walks, and lots of doggies. Please keep your dog on leash. I know, I know, your dog is friendly. So is everyone's dog... The only subculture to watch for is the occasional bike bro who treats right of way like a personal trail system. Most people are great. A few roll through with a festival-bro confidence level that feels wildly unnecessary on the peaceful trails. The park has changed in recent years. Prescribed burns, thinning, and fallen trees have opened up parts of the forest, so there is more sun than there used to be. Some spots look a little rough. Then you notice the new seedlings coming in, and suddenly you're thinking about forest cycles, renewal, mortality, and why you came here without coffee. Wait. Where were we? Come back. Flying J is not flashy. That's the point. It's easy, close, calm, dog-friendly, and natural enough to help change your headspace. Not every hike needs to conquer something. Sometimes it just needs to hand your brain back in better condition.

Beautiful park in Evergreen with a easy trail. Right now it's great for spikes or snowshoes. The…read moresnow was packed and more slushy and icy so we used spikes instead of the snowshoes and they worked great. The views are pretty and not too crowded at all. There was a ranger at the parking lot and it seems to be checked up on quite a bit. The parking lot isn't too small and there's good space. Highly recommend in the winter because it makes the trail more interesting.

This was tougher than I thought it would be. You read all the information on what happens when you…read moreclimb higher. Well to provide an example, at the bottom it was 82 degrees. We got to the top and temperature dropped down to 38 degrees. I didn't have the correct clothes on for being that high up on Mt. Evans. The other part is when I got out of the vehicle, wow the air took my breath away and took me a while to gain it back. I got lightheaded immediately while exiting the vehicle. Besides that the views were absolutely amazing. Some of the best views I've ever seen. It reminded me of Washington State and South Dakota. Just incredible views. The other part was driving to the top, guardrails are minor and gets more scary as you drive further up. It was a great time.

A friend of mine had told me about this place and said we should give it a visit when in Colorado…read more We tried to do that the last time we were there, but it had already closed for the season. This trip, we were a week or so earlier, so we decided to try again. Fortunately, most of the area was still open. Only the very top was closed. Timed entry passes are required here, just like in many of the National Parks. I'm glad one of our group thought to get it. After a very nice drive up from Idaho Springs, we showed our permit and headed up. Part of the fun of this trip is that it's the highest paved road in North America (14,264 ft). We made it all the way up to one of the alpine lakes, and it was cold. I'm glad we were prepared for the cold and wind. We didn't see any wildlife at the lake, but we did see some on the way up. The area is full of deer, big horn sheep, and mountain goats, and we got to see 2 of the 3. Will I return? Definitely. However, if you want to see it all, you better go in the summer.

Super cute family park. I came in for a walk on a weekend and the park was busy but open enough to…read moretake a nice walk. They have a lot of local art around the park that you can snap a picture and go to the website to vote. Very nice a peaceful and definitely love it.

Odd vibes on a Monday afternoon. There were multiple folks just sitting in their cars, a guy laying…read moreon the grass doing sit ups and talking to himself, someone looking sketchy walking around with a black eye. Shady characters for sure... plus the trail along the lake had a ton of geese poop too. It didn't give me the nature vibes I wanted. On the plus side: I hear the skate park here is pretty good!

Lovely surprise. Found it trying to get away from the heat. Easy trails. Saw 3 bucks. Attacked to…read morea historic mansion. They were having a celebration of life today and I got there early so parking was fine but the parking lot was completely full by the time I left. I walked the meadow and forest trails for a total of 1.3 miles. Saw three beautiful bucks. The staff was all very nice and helpful and they have great guides on paper and maps and activities for kids.

Visit here at the end of February, and the weather was perfect, not hot or cold. A small parking…read morelot, spacious enough to accommodate a nice amount cars. Nothing much more to do or see but the view of the far away town and hills. It has a small museum at the look out. A nice trail to hike nothing to crazy. We didn't spend much time here at this mountain. We spent more time at Red Rock Theatre. But we did capture some great photos while on the visit. It's was not a far drive to get to the mountain from the gas station we stop at, it was like 10-14 miles away. (it kind of remind me of the parking lot that's at the end of Galveston island, and looking out at the ocean.)

Kendrick Lake Park is top-notch. The lake and gardens are truly beautiful. The playground is well…read moremaintained and very fun. There is a covered picnic area close to the playground and lake which would make it a great place for a kids party. The lake path around the lake makes for a nice walk and the bathroom ms are clean and maintained.

Not a bad little park. People are fairly respectful, it's pretty clean, and there's ample parking…read more Dogs are welcome though need to be leashed and almost everyone follows this, however not everyone is cognizant of how their dog is doing on the leash (it's OK to make it shorter if the pup isn't behaving will and there are people around) and there is sometimes trash around the bathrooms.

Talk about well maintained trail with some nice scenic views along the way and nice diversity of…read moretrails to choose from lots of elevation gain to moderate. It outside of Denver not sure exactly time cause here only for race weekend. We decided to meet up with trail running group one day. Only Emily ran with the group while Ashley and I exploring walk. Base before start nice they have map of different trail routes, free pamphlet exact routes, and nice warnings for bears. Thankfully not cross one. lol. We started with the group cause different loops some intersect but most start base loop. Some parts single track but most part all pretty wide. I love taken care of see pine tree fell over they cut it down clear the path. There even few bench saw chill and soak up nature. Busy trail runners, walkers, bikers, and groups. If love outdoors and looking for great trail. Elk Meadow Park is winnah!

Elk Meadow to Bergen peak is a lovely hike that will keep you in shape…read more It can get tedious doing it over and over again...but it is close to Denver and the facilities are top notch. Dogs are welcome. Great mountain biking Great trail running.