Bluffs Regional Park
Bluffs Regional Park: Beauty in our backyard
Article and photos by Liz Jurkowski
Like many, I had seen the sign many times
on my way home from Target in Lone Tree, or as I passed Cabela’s on
RidgeGate Parkway. The nondescript brown sign reads “Bluffs Regional
Park” and has an arrow on it pointing down a street next to a new
residential neighborhood. Every time I passed the sign, I always
thought that one day I would actually turn and see what kind of a park
the Bluffs really is. I finally did, and I have now found my new
favorite local hiking trail.
Bluffs Regional Park is 253 acres of beauty
right here in our own backyard. Open from sunrise to sunset, it
features a 2.7 mile loop trail through rolling hills. With wonderful
views of Denver, the Front Range, and the sprawling prairie, it is a
fabulous place for an afternoon walk, a family hike, or a challenging
run. There is about a 200-foot elevation gain throughout the loop, with
some hill grades reaching as high as eight percent. The soft surface
trail is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, dogs on a leash, and horses.
There are two viewpoint trails within the
loop. If you add those to your workout, the full trip is 3.5 miles.
The trail is accessible through many neighborhoods in Lone Tree, but the
parking lot at the end of Crooked Stick Trail is where the loop begins
and ends.
For the adventurous, the trail at Bluffs
Regional Park also connects to the East West Trail and some of the
hiking trails of the South Suburban Recreation District.
To learn more, visit http://www.douglas.co.us/dcoutdoors/parks/regional-parks/bluffs-regional-park/.
The winding loop trail at Bluffs Regional Park provides beautiful vistas of Denver and the Front Range.
Less than a five minute drive from Castle Pines, the park is located at 10099 Crooked Stick Trail, in Lone Tree.
