In 2014, Castle Rock opened an outdoor destination to meet the growing population between Colorado’s biggest cities. Philip S. Miller Park would have something for everyone.
There would be Challenge Hill — the vertical 200 steps resembling a much smaller Manitou Incline. There would be a turf field for sports and a state-of-the-art playground. There would be zip lines running between the hills encircling the 300-acre park. And across that terrain, there would be trails for the pure outdoor lover.
The roughly 8-mile network is particularly beloved by mountain bikers who have formed their favorite laps. The network is a series of connected loops exploring the park’s valleys and high points.
The loops are named for colors: red, green, purple and gold. Gold sounded most enticing on our latest visit.
Parking by the amphitheater and Mill House event center, a sidewalk stretches past the event center’s pond. It meets two prongs of the Gold Loop; we started by going right.
The trail rises through oak low enough for one to overlook the park below. After about a half-mile, it comes to a four-way junction with the Purple Loop; Gold continues left with views of Castle Rock’s namesake outcrop.