Castle ruins, stunning views of Denver, Red Rocks, and the mountains, all super close to Denver! Mount Falcon is a wonderful adventure, with many miles of trails and options.
There are two main ways into Mount Falcon Park, a West trailhead, and a Morrison (East) trailhead. For a flat, easier trek, start at the West trailhead. It is an easy walk to the ruins and lookouts from here.
The Morrison Trailhead is quite a bit longer and features 2000 feet of elevation gain up to the castle ruins. This is a great place for a trailrun and to turn the adventure into a bit more of a challenge.
The castle ruins themselves are quite a sight at the top of Mount Falcon. They are those of early 20th century entrepreneur John Brisbane Walker. He built the home in 1909, and lived there until 1918 when it was struck by lightning and burned down. You can still see ash marks in fireplaces where fire flames danced in the forgotten mansion long ago.
Another attraction in Mount Falcon is the cornerstone of the never built "Summer White House", a dream Walker had to create a "castle in the clouds" for vacationing US Presidents. His dream was never realized and now sits just a small foundation and a cornerstone. You can see how magnificent the views would have been!
Overall this is a fantastic adventure close to Denver with quite a bit of history and breathtaking views. This is a great one for the whole family, or even to bring people from out of town! For a map of Mount Falcon to plan your trek click HERE!
Check out the site of where one early 20th century entrepreneur aspired to build a summer White House for presidents to vacation. Also admire the ruins of his castle-like mansion which burned down in 1918.
With wildlife, wildflowers, and history, this adventure is a great place to practice your photography!
With wide trails and being relatively flat, this is a great trail for families if you start at the West trailhead!
If you want an easy trek, start at the West trailhead. For an elevation gain and challenge, start at the Morrison Trailhead. The map above shows the Morrison Trailhead. Clicking the button will take you to the West trailhead.
