Distance: 7.65 miles on my GPS
Elevation Gain: About 1630 feet
Location: Morrison, Jefferson County (directions below)
Trailhead: Parking, interpretive sign, trail maps, bathrooms
Dog rules: Allowed on leash, see JeffCo site for details.
Cost: Free
Hiking Partner: Gaylene

As the weather turns, now is a good time to start exploring the foothills. If you're looking for a place to hike, you've got to spend some time on the Jefferson County Open Space Web site. It has good maps of JeffCo's parks, trail descriptions, etc.

I live in Broomfield and was meeting a friend from Parker, so I figured Mt. Falcon would be a good halfway spot to meet. Mt. Falcon also has a lot of history. John Brisben Walker once owned more than 4,000 acres of land in this area. The hike I picked would take us to the ruins of Walker's home and the foundation of a home he wanted to build as the Summer White House for the president.

Mt. Falcon has two trailheads, one each on the east side and west side of the park. The west side trailhead is accessed off Highway 285 and doesn't have quite the elevation change. It's a great spot if you're bringing kids or seniors to hike. I was looking for a workout, so Gaylene and I met on the east side. It's 2 miles from C-470 to the trailhead on the east side.

The trailhead has lots of parking, a sign with maps, and bathrooms. When the parking lot is full, people park along the west side of the road.

At the trailhead you have two options for trails up the mountain. The Castle Trail is 1.3 miles with lots of switchbacks. The Turkey Trot trail is longer, but it's for hikers only and it goes through a pretty forest area. We chose the Turkey Trot trail.

Come ready to climb. This trail gains about 800 feet in 1.7 miles. There are some steep sections and some places where you can catch your breath. About 0.67 miles from the trailhead, you start to hike in the trees. After about a mile of hiking, you'll get a good view of the Red Rocks Amphitheater.

John Brisben Walker is credited with producing a number of concerts between 1906 and 1910 on a temporary platform at Red Rocks. The city of Denver bought the land from Walker in 1927 and a few years later, the amphitheater was built. To learn more, visit the Red Rocks Web site.

After 1.7 miles of hiking, you'll come to a trail split where the Turkey Trot trail ends at the Castle trail. You can take the Castle trail down or continue up. We went up.

This section of the hike is not quite as scenic, but if you look behind you, there are views of the city. Be careful on the Castle trail, it's popular with bikers. While bikers should yield to hikers, it's easier for hikers to stop for a moment and let a biker pass than it is for a biker to stop and dismount.

The Castle trail climbs another 1.2 miles to the saddle of the mountain. At the top is a picnic table under a shelter and great views of the metro area.

From the shelter, you can take Walker's Dream trail to the Summer White House or continue on to the Walker home ruins. We decided to start with Walker's home, then visit the Summer White House on the way back.

From here, the Castle trail widens out. The Jefferson County Web site says this trail once carried Stanley Steamers. Walker actually bought the patent for the Stanley Steamers from the Stanley Brothers (no relation to me) in 1899.

From the shelter, it's only about a half mile to the Walker Home Ruins. On the way is a beautiful view of the Continental Divide and even another glimpse of the Red Rocks Amphitheater.

At the ruins, there is a little courtyard with two benches for visitors and a sign telling the story of John Walker. It explains how Walker made money on real estate in West Virginia and that he once owned Cosmopolitan Magazine.

In 1909, he had his castle on Mt. Falcon built. It featured native stone, several fireplaces, dozens of rooms, a library, servant's quarters and much more. As you sit on the benches, it's easy to imagine it all because the stone ruins still mark several of the rooms and fireplaces. While there is a fence preventing visitors from walking in the ruins, you can walk around the area. The castle burned in 1918.

Walker loved the mountain so much, he dreamed of building a summer home for the presidents of the United States. To see what became of that wish, go back down the Castle Trail to the Walker's Dream trail to see the foundation of that Summer Home. There you'll also see a piece of marble from Marble, Colo. carved with the words "Summer Home for the Presidents of the United States, the gift of the people of Colorado, 1911."

The fire at Walker's home, the death of his wife, America's involvement in World War I and Walker's declining fortune brought the project to a halt. The views from here are beautiful and it's a good place to take a break and imagine what might have been.

From here, it's all downhill back to the parking lot. Taking the Castle trail all the way down cuts 0.4 mile off the hike, but wait 'till you see the switchbacks. You won't envy the bikers trying to make their way up the trail.

If you have time, stop in Morrison for food, drinks or even ice cream. It's a great little town.

With fall here, I especially welcome your low elevation hiking trail suggestions, just e-mail me at deb_stanley@kmgh.com. I also welcome your comments and questions.

Directions: From C470, exit Morrison road. Turn west and go through the town of Morrison. About 0.7 miles from the highway, look for the signs for 285 and CO 8. Turn left on Colorado 8 at the stop light. About 0.8 of a mile, turn right on Forest Avenue, then take the first right turn on Vine. You should see signs for the park before the Forest Avenue turn and the Vine turn. Vine deadends at the trailhead parking lot.

Previous hiking reports:(lower elevation hikes have a star)
Boulder:
Caribou Ranch*, Mallory Cave*, Marshall Mesa,Heil Valley Ranch* Forsythe Canyon*, South Boulder Peak*, The Boulder Flatirons*, Walker Ranch*, Bear Peak*, Rabbit Mountain*, Bald Mountain*, Betasso Preserve*, Wonderland Lake*
Golden area:
Forgotten Valley, Chimney Gulch*, Apex Park*
Jefferson County:
Elk Meadow*
I-70 area:
Herman Gulch, Chicago Lakes, Chief Mountain
Rocky Mountain National Park:
Granite Falls, Twin Sisters, Bierstadt Lake, Chasm Lake, Lulu City & Little Yellowstone, The Loch, Andrew's Glacier, Sandbeach Lake
Indian Peaks/James Peak Wilderness:
King, Bob & Betty Lakes, Forest Lakes, Arapaho Lakes, Mitchell & Blue Lakes, James Peak Area, Heart Lake
Northern Colorado:
Homestead Meadows, Devil's Backbone*, Lake Agnes
Summit & Eagle Counties:
Booth Falls, Missouri Lakes, Mohawk Lakes & Continental Falls
Grand County:
St Louis Lake, Waterfall At Snow Mountain Ranch, Granby Ranch
Other:
Exploring Fulford Cave, Our Favorite Hikes, Our Favorite Bike Rides