Front Range
Douglas County
23 Porch Notes tied to Douglas County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Places in this county
Money and taxes (1)
Home and property (1)
Water and land (4)
Water and land
Greenland Open Space near Larkspur now sits beside North America's largest wildlife overpass
Greenland Open Space south of Larkspur offers about ten miles of open-prairie trail through pronghorn and elk country, now paired with the new I-25 Greenland wildlife overpass.
Read note ->Water and land
In Douglas County, a lot of water comes from deep bedrock aquifers
Much of Douglas County draws drinking water from the layered Denver Basin bedrock aquifers, a supply the state treats differently from a mountain stream.
Read note ->Water and land
Rueter-Hess Reservoir near Parker offers a bonus of public recreation
Rueter-Hess Reservoir near Parker is a water district's drinking-water storage, and Douglas County also opens it up for public recreation under its own rules.
Read note ->Water and land
The rock that named Castle Rock was hardened by volcanic silica
The flat-topped butte over Castle Rock is capped by erosion-resistant Castle Rock Conglomerate, bound by silica cement that formed from ancient volcanic ash.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (9)
Outdoors and wildfire
At Sandstone Ranch near Larkspur, three trail loops trade meadow for red rock and forest
Sandstone Ranch Open Space near Larkspur is a free Douglas County property where three stacked loops carry walkers, riders, and bikers from hay meadows up into red rock and ponderosa pine.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Castlewood Canyon is a state park, with state-park rules
Castlewood Canyon State Park near Franktown is managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, so it follows state-park access, pass, and seasonal trail rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Chatfield's heronry is a spring wildlife-watching spot
Chatfield State Park, where the South Platte leaves Waterton Canyon, has a mapped heronry area and hundreds of bird species along the river and reservoir.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Daniels Park: Denver's bison preserve on a Douglas County rim
A high-plains rim near Sedalia where a live bison herd grazes below one of Colorado's widest views, all on the only Denver Mountain Park in Douglas County.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Devil's Head still has a working fire lookout you can hike to
Devil's Head in the Rampart Range above Sedalia holds a historic fire lookout tower reached by a short, steep trail in Pike National Forest.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Rampart Range camping means designated sites, not 'camp anywhere'
The Rampart Range Recreation Area in Pike National Forest allows camping only in designated sites and closes its roads to vehicles in winter and mud season.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Roxborough's tilted red rocks are a protected National Natural Landmark
Roxborough State Park near Littleton protects tilted red sandstone and an archaeological district, with strict rules that keep its scenery and wildlife pristine.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The South Platte fishing rules change by stretch of river
The South Platte River corridor in Pike National Forest near Deckers is a noted trout fishery where bag limits and methods change segment by segment under CPW's current fishing regulations.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Waterton Canyon is where the Colorado Trail starts, and dogs stay home
Waterton Canyon on the South Platte is the Colorado Trail's northern start and a bighorn sheep range, so dogs are banned to protect the herd.
Read note ->Cars and driving (1)
Local rules (1)
History and culture (6)
History and culture
Highlands Ranch grew on a real ranch, and the mansion is still there
Before it was a suburb, Highlands Ranch was a working cattle ranch, and its historic mansion is now owned by the metro district and open to the public.
Read note ->History and culture
Schweiger Ranch is a restored 1874 homestead site beside Lone Tree
Schweiger Ranch near Lone Tree, an 1874 homestead site, is a designated Douglas County historic landmark restored and run by a nonprofit foundation that opens it for tours and events.
Read note ->History and culture
The 1933 Castlewood Dam break still shapes Cherry Creek
An old irrigation dam in Douglas County failed in 1933 and sent a flood down Cherry Creek toward Denver, a story that later shaped flood control on the creek.
Read note ->History and culture
The Cattlewoman Who Saved a Castle Above Sedalia
Tweet Kimball turned a 1920s Scottish-and-English-styled castle near Sedalia into a working cattle ranch and then protected its land, and you can tour the result by reservation.
Read note ->History and culture
The old Castle Rock train depot is now the town's history museum
Castle Rock's historic Denver & Rio Grande stone depot now houses the Castle Rock Historical Museum, a free place to learn the town's railroad and quarry story.
Read note ->History and culture
The Star on the Rock: Castle Rock's 1936 beacon of hope
A star raised on the butte during the Depression still lights up over Castle Rock every winter, tended by the fire department and switched on each year at the chamber's Starlighting.
Read note ->