Castlewood Trail

Sites on this Trail

Castlewood Canyon State Park
Description:
This beautiful state park is one of the best places to bird near Denver and contains an extensive trail system that runs through a variety of habitats including oak scrub woodlands, montane forest, and grasslands. Several raptors may be observed including Swainson’s Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and falcon species such as American Kestrel. Castlewood is home to one of Colorado's larger Turkey Vulture populations; the park celebrates their return from migration with Welcome Back Turkey Vulture Day each spring. A State Parks pass is required for entry.

Directions:

Access:
Open all year, Sunrise to Sunset
Gateway Mesa Open Space
Description:
With a similar environment to Castlewood Canyon, this open space is a pleasant place to experience scrub oak and rimrock habitats south of the Denver metro area. These habitats are home to migratory birds, raptors, and Wild Turkey, among many others. Two trails lead you to explore the area; look for birds like Rock and Canyon Wrens, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Virginia's Warbler, and Bushtit.

Directions:
From Denver: take I-25 south to Castle Rock and exit at CO 86/Founders Pkwy. Go west on CO 86; it will curve to the right and continue south. In 4.5 miles at the 5th Ave. intersection, go east to continue on CO 86. In 1.5 miles the parking area will be on the east side.

Access:
Open all year, Daylight hours
Salisbury Park
Description:
With a trail along Cherry Creek, Salisbury is a nice spot to look for birds. This park has patches of woodland and a nice small pond and is best during migration, when any number of species could show up. The pond itself often has quite a few ducks on it during the fall and early spring, and the open habitats sometimes have sparrow flocks and the odd Northern Shrike. Be sure to check out the Parker Arboretum, where the town of Parker grows a variety of trees that may one day take root in one of the parks.

Directions:
From Denver: go south on I-25 to Lincoln Ave. Head east on Lincoln Ave. to CO 83/South Parker Rd. and head south to South Pine Dr. Go west and then take an immediate turn north into the parking lot.

Access:
Open all year, 6:00 am to 11:00 pm daily
Daniels Park
Description:
Daniels Park is rich in history as well as habitat for wildlife! Covered in scrub oak, this Denver Mountain Park is a good place to look for Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Bushtit, Virginia's Warbler, and Rock Wren. Birding is best during the summer, though migration may bring a few other species like MacGillivray's Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, and White-crowned Sparrow. A herd of bison roam much of the upper elevations, so there is limited access to most of the park to protect these majestic animals.

Directions:
From Denver: take I-25 south to Castle Rock and exit at CO 188/Castle Pines Pkwy. Head west and in about 4 miles, the road will curve sharply to the left and change to North Daniels Park Rd. At the peak of the curve you will find the entrance to the park, on the west side; the parking lot is just under a mile farther.

Access:
Open all year, From one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
Jarre Canyon Road and Platte River Road
Description:
Jarre Canyon Road (CO 67) passes through patches of scrub oak and horse pastures before climbing into the foothills ponderosa pine habitat. A few pull-offs, mostly on the right (north), provide possible places to explore for ponderosa birds year-round. In addition to birding, there are plenty of other recreational activities here, making this a good place to spend the day with family and friends.

Directions:
From US 85 in the town of Sedalia: go south on CO 67/Jarre Canyon Rd. The best habitat begins after about 10 miles; Sprucewood is 13 miles from Sedalia and the North Platte River is 10 miles from Sprucewood.

Access:
Open all year, Daylight hours
Devil’s Head
Description:
The 1.4 mile trail up Devil's Head (9,748 feet) provides spectacular views over the plains that temper the climb to the lookout. Restricted to foot traffic, you pass through ponderosa, Douglas-fir and aspen zones. Look year-round for Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Common Raven, both chickadees, and all three nuthatches; in summer look for Olive-sided Flycatcher, Plumbeous and Warbling vireos, and more.

Directions:
From US 85 in the town of Sedalia: go south on CO 67/Jarre Canyon Rd. for 10 miles to Rampart Range Rd. Head south on Rampart Range Rd. for about 9 miles to the parking area.

Access:
Access via Rampart Range Road is closed in winter (from as early as November through as late as June)., Daylight hours
FR 550
Description:
This remote dirt road provides good access to montane forest habitats (but can be difficult to travel - check conditions before heading out). Watch carefully along the road for Dusky Grouse, which is best looked for in the spring and late summer. The pine forests should have the typical specialty species including Williamson's Sapsucker, while higher up American Three-toed Woodpecker can be found, with luck. The Tramway Trail, 4.5 miles east of Pine Valley Road, accesses some burned habitat, which offers more chances for spotting woodpeckers.

Directions:
From Denver: go west on I-70 and transition to south C-470. From C-470, take US 285 south toward Fairplay. Go 22 miles to Pine Junction and turn southeast onto CR 126/Pine Valley Rd. At SW Platte River Rd., CR 126 turns into Decker Canyon Rd. FR 550 road is 14 miles from the US 285/CR 126 junction on the west.

Access:
Open May - September, Dawn to Dusk
Pine Valley Ranch Park
Description:
This large park contains many of the typical mountain habitats, especially mixed-conifer woodland and riverside willow habitat. A good trail following the river for two miles through the property can be a good place to look for MacGillivray's Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow. American Dipper can be common along the river and has nested just east of the parking lot. Also be sure to look for Canyon and Rock Wrens on the cliff edges south and east of the parking lot. More open meadows often contain Mountain Bluebird and White-crowned Sparrow, and Golden Eagles could soar overhead at any time.

Directions:
From Denver: go west on I-70 and transition to south C-470. From C-470, take US 285 south toward Fairplay. Go 22 miles to Pine Junction and turn southeast onto CR 126/Pine Valley Rd. Continue 5.8 miles and head west onto Crystal Lake Rd to the parking area, in about a mile.

Access:
Open all year, One hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
Westcreek
Description:
Lying at the edge of the huge Hayman Fire burn area, Westcreek offers access to extensive tracts of burned woodland. Well into the regeneration process, this is still a good area to look for American Three-toed Woodpecker and other woodpecker species. Be aware the lake in the area is private property.

Directions:
From Sedalia: head south on CO 67 for 36 miles to Westcreek. The best burn areas are further south along CO 67.

Access:
Open all year, Daylight hours