The red rocks of Roxborough … new state park 25 miles southwest of Denver

Sunset, Sept, 1987

Like the spiny backbones of half-buried dinosaurs, brick red fins poke up through the landscape in Colorado's newest state park, less than a 1/2 hour drive from Denver. Officially opened May 15, Roxborough State Park is also protected as a national natural landmark and a state natural area the only place in Colorado given both designations.

When you visit this vividly contoured terrain, you'll see why conservationists fought so hard to save it. Our favorite time is in the warm light of late afternoon.

Rising mountains and tilting slabs form a remarkable landscape.

Nestled in foothills at 6,000 feet, Roxborough's sandstone ridges are part of the same geologic structure, called the Fountain formation, that contributes to the beauty and popularity of Red Rocks Park (Denver's outdoor amphitheater) and Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs.

The Fountain formation was part of a great apron of debris that sloughed from the east rim of the ancient Rocky Mountains some 300 million years ago.

About 70 million years ago, the Rockies thrust up into their present position, tilting the sandstone steeply. Wind and rain then began the process of carving the rocks into the saw-toothed walls visitors see today.

Early Indians, called the Archaic people, lived in this region around 5000 B.C.; more recent Indians preferred the less harsh lowlands. A homesteader's cattle ranch operated here until the late 1930s, and its owners once planned to build a resort among the rocks (you can still see the old brick kiln built to turn out construction materials.

Rescued from large-scale development, park now offers walks, hikes, sights.

Land for the state park was acquired almost too late; quick action by the Colorado State Parks and the Trust for Public Land secured the first parcels in 1975. Now the park encloses some 1,512 acres - almost half of the largest exposed portion of the Fountain formation in Colorado. Still, the acquisition did come too late to prevent the rest from being developed; a golf course and subdivision wrap around the north section of the formation and of the park.

The park's new visitor center is cradled unobtrusively among the rocks. Free, docent-led tours begin here on Saturdays at 9 and 1:30.

Open for day use, Roxborough is geared to hikers. But carry water and wear sturdy shoes. You can walk through six habitats here, including bare rock, marsh, ponderosa pine, grassland, scrub oak, and woods of aspen and Douglas fir. You might spot golden eagles or an occasional rattlesnake at any time. In the late afternoon, when the breezes die down and the low sun turns the rocks an ocher hue, you may also see mule deer or coyotes.

The Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado have completed a 3-mile trail to the top of Carpenter Peak (elevation 7,205 feet). It's a steep hike, and you must watch for rattlesnakes, but it offers spectacular clear-day views out over Denver and the high plains.

For an easier walk, follow the short Willow Creek loop outside the interpretive center. Or try the 2 1/2-mile Fountain Valley Trail. From its top, you'll see the sandstone ridges, seemingly frozen in marching formation, and small islands of the various vegetation communities.

Iron oxide is what tints the sandstone red. And while Roxborough's walls, at 60 degree angles, aren't quite as steep as those in Garden of the Gods (at 850 degrees), they're still pretty wicked; climbers estimate some of these pitches would rate 9 on a difficulty scale whose toughest rating is 10. (Climbing is not allowed.)

Weather here is true to type for foothills. Spring and fall days can he windy, with strongest gusts in the morning. On summer days, temperatures can soar into the 90s as the rock walls pick up heat early and radiate it throughout the rest of the day. Fall brings the best weather- with cool, clear air.

To reach Roxborough State Park from Denver, take U.S. Highway 85 (Santa Fe Drive) south past State 470 to Titan Road (just past Chatfield Lake), then head 3 miles west to Rampart Road. Turn south on Rampart, left on N. Roxborough Park Road, and make an immediate right turn to the entrance station. The park is open 8 to dusk daily; entry costs $3 per car. Note that there are no camping or picnicking facilities, and dogs are not allowed.