Staunton State Park is the newest state park in Colorado. It became the state park and opened to the public on May 18th 2013. The direction I got from the Park's website.
From Denver
Take US Highway 285 south to Shaffers Crossing,
about 6 miles west of Conifer.
Turn north on Elk Creek Road and follow the signs 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
Turn north on Elk Creek Road and follow the signs 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
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| Mariposa Lily |
It is very easy to follow the sign to get to the park from 285. There are two parking lots after you pass the park entrance. The day pass costs $7.00 per car. We used the upper parking, where is closer to Staunton Ranch Trail we were going to hike. Restrooms are available at the parking lot. See the trail map below for more details. Trail Map from the Park's website
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| Wild Mushrooms |
The trail we did is Staunton Ranch Trail, 3.3 miles round trip. The trail was a bit crowded with hikers and bikers. We got on the Climbing Access for some climbing, which added another 0.9 mile to our hike. The climb access is for hikers only so it is more quiet with less traffic. There were many wild raspberries right after we passed the rocks. Wildflowers were also blooming along the trail. Overall it was a nice and easy hike to me, although it is rated as 'Moderate' officially.
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| Wild Raspberries |
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| Climbing Access |
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| Picking the Raspberries |
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| Narrow rocky path on Climbing Access |
