Things To Do & See

The St. Peter’s Dome hike is off the beaten path but is quite short (less than two miles round trip) and offers great views and some rock scrambling (if you desire to get to the very top).  Our family did this hike way back in 2009 when our oldest was four (he’s now almost thirteen!) and we did it again this spring so I wanted to update the blog post I’d written about it and add some new photos.

The trailhead is on Gold Camp Road about a mile past the intersection of Old Stage and Gold Camp (see below for detailed directions).  You’ll be driving up about eight miles up Old Stage Road to get there, and be forewarned that the road is curvy with lots of washboarding and potholes, though it’s totally passable by most vehicles.

The sign at the trailhead for St. Peter’s Dome indicates it’s a 0.7 mile hike. The first part of the trail is relatively flat, and then it begins climbing and the switchbacks begin. As you near the top, the trail becomes pretty narrow and there is a lot of loose rock which can be challenging for kids.

When you get near the top, you might realize that you’re content to check out the view from near the top  – if you want to go all the way to the top of the dome, you’ll need to use a knotted rope to get up the next boulder. (The rope seems sturdy, but who knows how long it’s been up there!)

When we were here most recently in spring 2018, we had a harder time locating the rope than we remembered previously, but finally found it – and ultimately opted not to go up to the top mostly because no one was excited about having to come back down the same way.  There have been staircases to get the top in the past, apparently, but nothing other than the remnants of an old metal staircase remains.

There are some large boulders that you can climb on to get a view over the ridge into the valley, though Jeremy told me that it was somewhat ironic that the place where you park has as good as or better views than the top of the hike. ;)

Still, it’s a fun hike that’s quite short but still feels like you actually went on a hike!

How to get to the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead: since part of Gold Camp Road is closed because of a tunnel collapse years ago, you’ll need to take Old Stage Road to Gold Camp Road. Once you reach the point where Old Stage merges into Gold Camp, drive about a mile to reach the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead. It’s easy to find, on the northeast side of the road there will be a small parking area and some large boulders. There’s also a small sign that indicates where the trail is.

Here’s a Google map. Note that the St. Peter’s Dome trailhead starts on the part of the map where it says “Eagle’s Nest”.

Castlewood Canyon State Park is that breathtaking canyon you’ve probably passed many times on your way to Denver on Highway 83 and gasped at its beauty and then just like that, it was gone.  (Well, the beauty isn’t completely gone, but the picturesque canyon is in view on second and gone the next!)

Well, you should stop next time!  Castlewood Canyon truly is a beautiful park with quite a variety of features: old homestead ruins, a waterfall, the remains of a dam that burst in 1933, and of course miles of hiking trails and beautiful views.

On our first visit, which took place last summer, we parked at the main parking lot off Highway 83 and did a few miles of hiking to the dam and waterfall.

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The Castlewood Dam

The Castlewood Dam was built in 1890 and collapsed in 1933, sending a “fifteen-foot wall of water” into Denver.  (The Denver Public Library has some of that history here.)

The Lucas Homestead Ruins

On the west side of the park there are the remains of the old homestead of Patrick and Margaret Lucas.  It was fun to explore this and imagine how the house must have been put together originally and what the various walls must have been.

It took until our third trip to the park to finally get to the homestead.  The first time, we intended to hike from the main park entrance to the homestead, which is on the other end of the park – about 3.5 miles one-way, which was more ambitious than I realized!  On a future trip we parked at the Falls Lot and did about a .7-mile hike to get to the homestead.  Once we got to the homestead I realized that there is a parking lot right in front of it, but hey, we wanted to hike.  (Obviously, my map-interpreting skills are lacking.)  The Falls Lot is a nice mid-way point between the homestead, the falls, and the dam.

We visited once in winter and enjoyed seeing the waterfall frozen over.

This is the Highway 83 bridge that you’ve probably driven on.  The little pavilion you can see from Highway 83 is the Bridge Canyon Overlook, which somehow I didn’t get a picture of that day.  (It was cold!)

When we were there in April, we observed many raptors soaring above the canyon, which was really fun to watch!  Certain trails and climbing areas at Castlewood Canyon are closed during part of the year to protect the raptors during their nesting season – be sure to check the website for closure information.

A sign for Cave Trail caught my eye last time we were there, but we didn’t have time to take it.  It looks like it’s a short hike that might be worth it, because of course it’s a cave!

Note that there are two entrances to the park: the main entrance off 83 and then the west entrance off Castlewood Canyon Rd., which can be access off Lake Gulch Rd. if you’re coming from the Springs.  I probably would recommend the west entrance if you are interested in the homestead, falls, and dam but don’t want a long hike.  The main entrance has the visitor center and quite a bit of paved trail if you need wheelchair- or stroller-accessible.

A state park pass is required to visit Castlewood Canyon – you can purchase a day pass for $7.  Bring cash, especially during the off-season, as there may not be a ranger at the visitor center.  (There are self-pay stations at both entrances to the park.)

Be sure to check the Colorado Parks and Wildlife site for official information on Castlewood Canyon State Park.  I hope you are able to get out and enjoy some of our state parks!

Just two miles round trip, Mt. Cutler is a nice and easy hike that’s great for families.   It’s located in North Cheyenne Canon Park, about a mile and a half from the main gate where Cheyenne Blvd. meets Evans Ave., which is also where the (free) Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center is located.

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