Reynolds Park: Oxen Draw-Eagle View-Raven's Roost Loop

Distance: 5 mile loop
Elevation: 7,265 ft - 8,179 ft
Elevation Gain: 914 ft
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: On leash (Jefferson County Open Space)
Date Hiked: 23 August 2013

Banner Peak viewed from the Eagle View Trail in the Reynold's Park Open Space

Reynolds Park Open Space south of Conifer contains some pleasant Front Range trails that will get you moving even in the off season. On this trip I went with a group and we hiked up the Oxen Draw Trail for 0.6 miles to the Eagle View trail (2.3 miles) and then back down the Raven's Roost Trail (0.6 miles). This route traverses variable terrain with lush meadows near the parking lot, dark piney woods on the way to the view point, and sandy Ponderosa slopes on the way back down.

Trail map. Note that while the Elkhorn Trail is listed, it is far more convoluted on the ground.

Starting out on the Elkhorn Trail that traverses lush summer grasses. You can see why this might have been a good place to feed a mule train.

The one tricky aspect of this route is the Elkhorn Nature Trail, which serves as an intermediary connector trail to both the Oxen Draw Trail going up and the Raven's Roost Trail coming down. The Elkhorn Trail contains numerous social connectors and winds in a loop near the river. Be advised that finding the exact route might take a couple of tries.

Starting out on the Oxen Draw Trail. The lower reaches are shaded with lush riparian plants.

As the route climbs, the area becomes more wooded but still dark, a pleasant respite on a hot summer day.

The best aspect of this area is the middle portion of the Eagle's Roost Trail, which travels along an open ridge with views of the surround foothills. Here rocky Banner Peak (8, 504 ft) stands out in sharp relief.

Looking southeast across the foothills. That is Platte View Drive in the distance.

Hiker lounging on a log bench with a view of Banner Peak.

Reynolds Park does have an interesting history.  Before it became open space, it was once a stop for pack trains traveling between Denver and Leadville. Now locals can zip up the highway, hike, and return home in the time it took to water a mule!

The upper reaches of the Eagle View Trail continue along an open ridge.

Heading down the Raven's Roost Trail

Finally, this route is not open to mountain bikers, which lends a level of serenity that other trails in the area don't have.

The lower sections of the Raven's Roost Trail are dry slopes filled with Sagebrush and Ponderosa Pine.

Meyer Ranch Winter Hike

Distance: 4.3 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,940 ft - 8,770 ft
Elevation Gain: 830 ft (net), 899 ft (cumulative)
Date Hiked: 3 Feb 2013
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes, but up the trail, not in the parking lot
Dogs: On leash (Jefferson County Open Space)

Meyer Ranch

Meyer Ranch is a small open space on Hwy 285 near Conifer CO that is very popular with the locals. We did this trail on a cool Superbowl Sunday and expected to have it all to ourselves. Instead, the parking lot was packed and the trail was far from empty. I can't image what it would be like on a nice, dry sunny day.

This open space blankets a pine-shaded, north-facing hillside, which means that while the areas to the north of Hwy 285 were bone dry, this trail was covered in snow. Microspikes came in very handy, and we did not see anyone with out them. 

We decided to try Meyer Ranch because we really needed some close-to-Denver elevation gain. While 800 ft is not a lot, it is better than a lot of other trails we have already tried. The area consists of two loops stacked on top of each other followed by a longer lollypop loop that shoots straight up the hillside. 

The downside of Meyer Ranch is that it is always in the trees. The Jefferson County brochure talked about great views to the northwest from the uppermost trail, but that is really not true. There is one spot with a log bench with some views but this is lower than the highest point and the views were not that great. In summer, the shade is probably a blessing, but in winter, it made for a colder experience than we were expecting.

Parking lot

The trails in Meyer Ranch head up across this meadow and up the pine covered hill

Since we were interested in maximum elevation gain, we took the Owl Perch Trail (0.7 miles) to the eastern side of the Lodgepole Loop (0.2 miles), then the uppermost side of the Sunny Aspen Trail (0.5 miles) to the Old Ski Run (0.7 miles plus a 0.6 mile loop). Note that total distance, which comes from the brochure, is 4.8 miles. My GPS registered 4.3.

Typical snowy segment

The one view point

At 2.25 miles, which was near the end of the upper most loop taken counter clockwise, is a small spur trail to a large pile of boulders. This area was open, sunny and dry. While it would make a nice lunch spot for a large group, some unfortunately placed trees blocked the views from the top of the pile itself.

A trail segment on the upper trail

The boulder pile

I have driven by Meyer Ranch countless times and now my curiosity is satisfied. With the dog leash restrictions and forested aspect of the trail it won't become a favorite, but it doesn't mean it can't be yours. It would make for a fun and easy trail run.