Dawson Butte Open Space Trail

The five-mile loop trail on Dawson Butte Open Space travels through mostly forested areas with open meadows and views of the Front Range Mountains. The trail follows gently rolling terrain but near the bottom or southwest part of the trail, there's a section with a lot of sand. Going clockwise from the parking lot, the first two miles of the trail are through meadows populated with stands of scrub oak. This portion of the trail descends about 400 feet. At the two-mile mark, the trail begins to climb and for the next two miles passes through a Ponderosa pine forest. A picnic area is located at mile three. The trail climbs steadily for the last three miles, and after mile four passes through the top of a meadow before ending at the parking lot. Multiple side trails allow for a customized hike of varying distances. The trail provides numerous excellent views of the Front Range and the Palmer Divide. This is a multi-use trail; be aware of your surroundings and of other users.