Castlewood Canyon State Park
State Park in Franktown, CO
Hours:
Park: Sunrise to Sunset.
Office: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
2989 South State Highway 83
Franktown, CO 80116
United States
Castlewood Canyon State Park
State Park in Franktown, CO
Hours:
Park: Sunrise to Sunset.
Office: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
2989 South State Highway 83
Franktown, CO 80116
United States
Scenic view of Castlewood Canyon State Park
Welcome to Castlewood Canyon State Park
Castlewood Canyon State Park is a memorable spot for outdoor activities like hiking, picnicking, rock climbing, sightseeing, photography and nature study. The park preserves 2,628 acres of the unique Black Forest region of Colorado. Visitors will also enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the Front Range and Pikes Peak.
2,628
acres
100
species of birds
12
miles of trails
60
foot rock-climbing walls
Directions
Accessing the Park
Main (East) Entrance
Take I-25 to Castle Rock. From I-25, take the Founders Parkway exit onto Hwy 86. Follow Hwy 86 into Franktown. At the stoplight, turn south to Hwy 83. Follow Hwy 83 for five miles to the main park entrance. Facilities near the main entrance include the Visitor Center, flush restrooms, event facilities, picnic areas with grills and a paved roadway.
West Entrance
The west entrance is accessed from Castlewood Canyon Road off of Hwy 86. The west entrance is in a less developed portion of the park, including a gravel road, gravel parking lots, a few picnic tables and vault toilets.
The Castlewood Canyon Visitor Center is located northeast of the main entrance.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
Castlewood Canyon is a Colorado Natural Area. There are many fantastic opportunities for viewing wildlife, plants and rock features.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all one 100+ bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- Blue-winged Warbler
- House Finch
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
Mammals You Might Find
- Mule Deer
- Coyote
- Porcupine
- Ground Squirrel
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Prairie Rattlesnake
- Gopher Snake
- Woodhouse's Toad
- Boreal Chorus Frog
Geology at This Park
From Castlewood Canyon visitors have excellent views of the upper Dawson Formation and Castle Rock Conglomerate, which show the geologic history of the Front Range. The conglomerate is a coarse, erosion-resistant cobble held together by volcanic ash. In the northwestern part of the park, a loose alluvium known as the Dawson Formation is exposed. This was deposited by water traveling out of the mountains and onto the plains below. The canyon looks the way it does because of the rocks underneath. What is now Cherry Creek carved into the hard Castle Rock conglomerate, making tall cliffs. The softer Dawson Formation on the upper slopes eroded more easily, creating the wider, lower slopes of the canyon.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
Mixed foothill shrublands occupy drier slopes and openings within the forest community, where Gambel’s oak, mountain mahogany, skunkbrush and snowberry are the dominant species. Along drainages, chokecherry and American plum commonly grow with Gambel’s oak. Grasslands are an interesting association of short grass prairie, tall grass prairie, montane grassland and introduced species. Barren rock outcrops and cliffs support lichen and moss communities. A variety of riparian and wetland communities are present along Cherry Creek, tributary drainages, and on seeps and springs. Wetlands support healthy and diverse plant and animal communities by filtering contaminants and anchoring shorelines. Unique grotto (hanging garden wetlands) occupy ceilings and floors of dissolution caverns along the western canyon walls. They contain mosses, liverworts, ferns and vascular plant species representative of the last ice age.
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History
Smoke marks can be seen on caves and overhangs throughout Castlewood Canyon.
Rock shelters in the canyon date back as far as 5,000 years. Reliable water and south-facing shelters would have made harsh, ancient winters tolerable for early North Americans. The tradition of wintering in the canyon continued under indigenous tribes. Archaeological finds suggest the Jicarilla Apache occupied eastern Colorado from around 1200 to 1750 CE. The Comanche and Mouache Ute, among others, controlled parts of the region during this period as well.
- 1858: Gold is discovered at Dry Creek, and what is known as the “gold rush” ensues. State Highway 83, just outside the canyon, follows one of the oldest stagecoach lines in Colorado. This route linked both the Smoky Hill and Santa Fe trails to the goldfields outside of Denver.
- 1864: U.S. Army Volunteers make four unprovoked attacks on Cheyenne villages in the area, beginning a summer of violence. The grave of one local resident killed in a September skirmish, Conrad Moschel, is visible just outside the modern park boundary along Castlewood Canyon Road.
- 1890: Castlewood Dam is built in Castlewood Canyon in an attempt to transform the flood-prone Cherry Creek into a reliable irrigation source.
- 1894: 160 acres at the foot of Wildcat Canyon are purchased by Patrick and Margaret Lucas. The couple meet after immigrating from Ireland to Arizona and marry in 1889 before moving to Colorado. The Lucas children and grandchildren keep up the property until a fire burns the structure in the early 1960s. Even as a ruin, the Lucas Homestead remains a feature of the park.
- 1933: Notorious for frequent leaks, the Castlewood Dam bursts on the night of August 3, 1933. A wall of water sends building materials, timber, cattle, cars and debris tumbling toward Denver. The city remains flooded for several days. Remains of the dam can be seen in the park today.
- 1961: Lawrence P. Brown, a descendant of Margaret and Patrick Lucas, sells 87 acres of his family’s old homestead to the newly created state park system for $10.
- 1964: Castlewood Canyon becomes a state park.
- 1970s: The park expands 792 acres to include the former dam and reservoir.
- 2002: The park purchases the remaining 73 acres of the Lucas homestead from the Metzler family. Total land now sits at a little over 2,500 acres.
- 2020: Castlewood Canyon State Park officially becomes a Leave No Trace Gold Standard site. Hikers and rock climbers should “pack in, pack out” the 10 Essentials, and all visitors are encouraged to practice Leave No Trace on the trail.