Outside Denver – Part 2!

Roxborough State Park

If you only have an afternoon free, but you want to go somewhere great near Denver where you can enjoy the outdoors, then you should absolutely visit Roxborough State Park. Only 45 minutes away from downtown Denver, it’s a perfect destination for a short day trip.

Roxborough State Park is a designated Colorado Natural Area, National Cultural District and National Natural Landmark. It is most famous for the “Fountain Formation”, which runs the length of the park. Huge pieces of red sandstone, left over from the formation of the Rocky Mountains, stick up from the ground at an angle, creating a beautiful ridge which can be seen from any of the park’s trails.

The park has a great Visitors’ Center where you can learn more about geology and the wildlife that call the park home. There is a list inside of all the wildlife sightings park visitors have reported recently – Roxborough is an especially great place to see deer. There are also educational programs at the Visitors’ Center which anyone can take part in – like classes about the different types of birds and flowers that are found in the park, and guided hikes where a park ranger will tell you more about the history of Roxborough.

Roxborough is not a big park, but has many different ecosystems, so it is just as diverse and interesting as many of the bigger parks. After your hike at Roxborough, you can visit the other outdoor attractions nearby, like the Chatfield Reservoir (perfect for swimming on a hot day) and the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield.

designated: assign a specific status or quality to something

geology: science that deals with Earth's physical structure and substance (rocks, mountains, etc.)

ecosystems: a community of animals, plants, and other organisms and the environments they live in