Hiking Bob: Staunton State Park is worth the drive

In my previous column, I challenged readers to spend this summer visiting new trails and to get out of a rut that we can easily fall into.

This week, I’m going to continue on that theme with one of my favorite places you may not have visited yet: Staunton State Park.

The nearly 4,000-acre park is one of Colorado’s newest state parks; it opened in May 2013. Located in the unincorporated community of Pine, about 90 minutes northwest of Colorado Springs, this park has something for everyone.  

Most trails are open to cycling and horseback riding. There are designated rock-climbing locations. Leashed dogs are allowed throughout the park. Fishing is allowed (with a license) at both Davis and Elk Falls Ponds. There is an archery range. And the park’s Track Chair Program makes a portion of the park available to disabled visitors. 

My first visit to the park was in 2015, and during my many visits since I have seen the park add improvements and amenities, including more trails. The most significant changes have been the addition of a visitor’s center, the Track Chair Program, walk-in (tent only) campsites, and the Lazy V parking lot/trailhead near the middle of the park.

For hikers, the Lazy V parking lot is a significant improvement. Until just a couple of years ago, the only trailheads/parking lots were at the far east end of the park, with most of the trails going west and north from there. That made some of the hikes to park destinations, such as to Elk Pond or Elk Falls or Lions Head on the opposite side of the park, very long – in the range of 10 or more miles round trip. The addition of the Lazy V Trailhead has cut the distances to those same destinations by several miles, making them accessible to more hikers.

Additional trailheads are located at the visitor’s center just inside the park entrance. The Ranch Hand trailhead is a short distance up the road from the entrance, and the Meadow trailhead is located across the road from Ranch Hand. The Mason Creek trailhead is in the far southeast corner of the park, near the archery range.

One of my favorite hikes in the park, because of its fantastic views, is the Mason Creek-Bear Paw-Old Mill Loop, a more-than-eight-mile trek that starts and ends at either the Ranch Hand or Meadow trailheads. The first three miles of this loop is a fairly steady and strenuous uphill climb, but the views from the three overlooks on the Bear Paw trail are not to be missed.

Two other loops I like start at the Lazy V trailhead. The Scout Line-Marmot Passage short loop clocks in at about 4.25 miles, and the Scout Line-Marmot Passage long loop is a bit more than three miles longer. Both of them start with a fairly steady mile-long uphill climb, but after that, either loop is pretty much all downhill.

The two main attractions in the park, in my opinion, are the summit of Lions Head, an eight-mile round trip hike to a prominent peak at the southwest corner of the park, and Elk Falls, below Lions Head, a nine-mile round-trip hike. Both start at the Lazy V trailhead. If starting from the Ranch Hand or Meadow trailheads, add approximately four miles round trip to these distances. 

The numerous trails in the park offer many more hikes you can do there, and you can plan your own on the parks’ Colorado Trails Explorer (COTREX) page.

For more information about the park, including reserving a track chair, visit the park’s website.

Be Good. Do Good Things. Explore.

Bob Falcone aka “Hiking Bob” has been a Colorado Springs resident for 35 years. A retired career firefighter and U.S. Air Force veteran, Bob is an avid hiker & outdoorsman. Bob spends his days traveling around Colorado and the American Southwest searching for hiking and photography opportunities and adventures, often with his loyal companion Coal the dog. Be sure to check out Hiking Bob’s website and podcast.