Deer Creek Canyon Park
From Hiking
| Deer Creek Canyon Park | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location: | Waterton Canyon | |
| Maintained By: | Jefferson County Open Space | |
| Starting Elevation: | 6200' | |
| Elevation Gain: | 1040' | |
| Length: | 5.6-6.9 miles | |
| Difficulty: | moderate to strenuous | |
| Last Hiked: | 6/28/08 | |
[edit] Finding the Trail Head
Go southeast on C-470, south on Kipling, west (right) on W. Ute Ave., west (right) on Deer Creek Canyon Rd., left on Grizzly Dr., and right into Deer Creek Canyon Park.
[edit] Description
Typical of front range hikes, the lower part of the Plymouth Creek trail is steep and through open, dry chaparral. The trail is wide and seems to trap the heat like a highway. The Meadowlark trail is a worthwhile alternative to the Plymouth Creek trail at the bottom. It's longer, but an easier climb, less open, and hiker only. The upper part of the Plymouth Creek trail gets into shady pine forest. There is a great view of the south metro Denver area from the top of Plymouth Mountain.
[edit] Experience
There is a section in the lower reaches of the trail where it's so steep that there are concrete steps to help the hikers and even the mountain bikers are walking. Just above the steps, the trail flattens out a little and there are raspberries and Cow Parsnip along the creek. The walk off of the main trail to the lookout is very pretty (spectacular Tall Penstemon), but it's 0.4 miles off the Plymouth Mountain trail loop and up hill coming back.
