The South Rim Trail

THE SOUTH RIM TRAIL

The South Rim Trail begins approximately 0.5 miles from the Visitor Center starting along the Carpenter Peak trail. The South Rim Trail is a single track trail that is considered moderate for hiking difficulty. It is approximately 1.8 miles long with a nearly 500 foot elevation gain. The trail connects to the Carpenter Peak and Willow Creek Trails. The trail winds through scrub oak, cottonwoods, grassy meadows and through the Willow Creek riparian area. It then continues up the rocky outcrops of the Dakota Ridge Hogback opening up to a northern view of the valley, giving a hiker a bird’s eye view of the Dakota, Lyons and Fountain Formations. The average hiking time is approximately 2 hours. Take your time, use the benches and enjoy the peace and quiet.

GETTING TO THE TRAIL: Start from the Visitor Center (VC1). Head out at 280° to the Willow Creek trailhead and enjoy that trail again to the WC4 Control point. This is the junction of the Willow Creek, South Rim and Carpenter Peak trails. At the junction, take a jog to 140° and continue a short distance to the South Rim / Carpenter Peak junction.

SR1- THE SOUTH RIM JUNCTION: Here’s where the adventure begins. Head to a coordinate of 77° and rest a bit at that shaded bench under the big cottonwood tree in front of you before you begin your climb.

SR2- THE COTTONWOOD BENCH: From the Christopher Westerberg bench, under the cottonwood tree, you can see each of the different ecosystems found in Roxborough: Grassland, Montane Shrubland, Montane Forest, Riparian and Disturbed. An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals, together with their environment. Many factors influence the type of an ecosystem that might be created in a place, including topography, aspect (direction in which a slope faces, soil type, water availability, degree and type of disturbance, climate, altitude, and geographic location. What are the differences you see in these factors with the different ecosystems you see?

Looking to the east, you see perfect habitat for the American Kestrel. Kestrels are the smallest falcon and are about the size of a robin. They love to perch up high and watch the grassland and riparian ecosystems for insects, small mammals and small birds. Kestrels often also hover for long periods of time watching the ground for movement. They nest in old woodpecker holes and cavities of trees. They are primarily a reddish brown in color with the males having gray blue wings. When perched, they resemble the shape of an ice cream cone and often bob their tail up and down. They have distinctive facial markings with black stripes down their white cheeks. They are fast flyers with long pointed wings.

You are currently at the front end of the South Rim trail, but if you look to the top of the Dakota formation at 80°, you’ll see the other end as it comes across and then switchbacks down to the WC trail again. Look now to the face of the Lyons formation at 90°- The vertical “railroad tracks” weathered into the rock are your attack point. Stay on the trail and head for that point.

SR3- THE FISH HOOK BENCH: Keep letting your imagination work at the Rick Weindrop bench, as you look to 90°. Those railroad tracks are still on the face of the Lyons formation in front of you and now, depending on the sunlight and shadows of the day, you’ll probably see a giant fish hook weathered into the rocks at 108°. Those must have been some fish back in the dino days. Head out now at 190° as you head back up the trail. About 100 yards beyond the switchback to the left, you’ll come upon a project that involved hundreds of hours to make your journey easier.

SR4- THE STEPS! Thank You Roxborough State Park Volunteers! Though mostly taken for granted, the wonderful trails in Roxborough Park are essentially handmade, using tools and materials hauled by hand or on the backs of volunteers. There are 82 steps ahead of you to make your journey easier. More than 170 additional ones exist on this trail alone. Every timber and all the materials and tools were carried up here individually and used to complete the project. In addition, the Roxborough State Park Weed Warriors fight noxious weeds regularly to protect habitats and native plants. Care to join the crews? Go to… https://cpw.state.co.us/volunteer Check us out!

SR5- THE COLUMBINE BENCH: Approximately 40 yards beyond the top of the steps, you’ll find a bench in the trees to your right, dedicated to Daniel Mauser (4/20/99). Daniel and his fellow students of Columbine High School and Mr. Sanders are Never Forgotten. Rest here for a short while and appreciate this beautiful view in their honor.

SR6- THE EAST SIDE SOUTH RIM BENCH: At top of South Rim to the east; take a look at this bench and imagine a mountain lion lurking underneath it. That is what a group of hikers with one of the park’s Volunteer Naturalists encountered one evening on one of the park’s moonlight hikes. The lion had recently made a deer kill and had hid the carcass about 20 yards from the bench in the oaks. It was hiding under the bench. Luckily, a visitor saw it before people got too close and the group quickly left the area. Look at the sweep from 38° to 42°, as the high plains meet the foothills . Do you see Louviers and Sedalia?

SR7- THE SOUTH RIM OVERLOOK: Incredible or what! Take some time to take it in. It’s easy to see all of the major geological formations from this vantage point. You’ve now hiked around or through nearly all of it. Facing north and starting from the West: the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Fountain Formation, Lyons Formation, Lykins, Morrison, and Dakota. Look to see if you can spot the white large rocks on the spine of the Lykins. What type of rock is that? What was it part of? (Answer on the Willow Creek Trail as you stand next to it.) The last of your practice bearings from here will be Carpenter Peak at 260°, Lockheed Martin at 338°, the Aurora Reservoir at 350°, and downtown Denver at 10°. If the day is clear, you’ll also be able to see up the Front Range all the way to Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. Now off you go to the north and south and north again, on the switchbacks that will lead you down to the junction.

SR8- SOUTH RIM / WILLOW CREEK JUNCTION: HEAD FOR HOME and the east parking lot at 340 ° OR HEAD WEST to 200° at the junction and enjoy the mostly downhill trip from here on Willow Creek trail to the visitor center where you began your journey.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE DAY COME BACK SOON!