Spectacular New Staunton State Park Trails: Elk Falls & Chimney Rock

We are so EXCITED to finally be able to tell you that the brand new spectacular Elk Falls Trail to the base of Elk Falls is complete and OPEN for your enjoyment!!! Elk Falls cascades 70' to its base and, from there, you can enjoy a new perspective of Lions Head.




There are temporary signs up, but you'll access the Elk Falls Trail from the also newly completed Chimney Rock Trail which is just past the Elk Falls Cabin. All told, Staunton State Park - Colorado Parks and Wildlife has now added about 4 miles of trails to the already 25 miles that was there. Way to go Staunton!

Please be careful hiking around the falls and don't go straying off the trail, the water makes the rocks very, very slippery.

We've got some video for you too, coming up later.

For some reviews of the Chimney Rock Trail (or Staunton Trails in general) from mountain bikers, you'll find the posts with great photos on our Facebook Page here , here , here , and here .

Give us a Like! www.facebook.com/FriendsofStauntonStatePark

Testimonials on the Chimney Rock Trail and others:
James Herklotz :

So very proud of what was built at Staunton State Park. The Chimney Rock trail is a thing of beauty that rides just as a bidirectional, multi user but bike optimized trail should: climbs like a dream and descends with fun and interest at every turn. It feels like an old Colorado singletrack while satisfying the needs of modern trail design. And the rock work along the talus fields is as beautifully executed as a Roosevelt era WPA project. Truly masterful! My sincerest thanks and gratitude to Bill and Brad for their roles in creating this trail. Staunton really is a gem now!

Thanks as well to Bill McCall for joining me out there for my first dirt ride in the park. What a hoot and a whole different beast without snow on it! The rain made for hero dirt (on the way up anyway)

Laston Charriez :

Staunton had hero dirt t-storms interrupted the great ride
New single track is a dream well done and thanks to the makers

Greg Gould :

I realize this is a bit of jump on the bandwagon but the trails at Staunton were just awesome today. All riders and hikers were courteous and well behaved. A fine Saturday indeed

Caryn Lemley :

Staunton was in great shape yesterday, beautiful weather!

And be sure to Like and Follow Staunton State Park - Colorado Parks and Wildlife Facebook Page for more! They posted a beautiful video here .

Sharing with permission from Staunton State Park:

Staunton State Park proudly announces the opening of two amazing new trails, Chimney Rock and Elk Falls.

The "multi-use" Chimney Rock Trail intersects with Lions Back Trail, about 50 yards above the Elk Falls Pond. Chimney Rock Trail connects the lower portion of Lions Back Trail to the upper portion, spanning 1.7 miles. The trail was beautifully and painstakingly constructed through several rock fields. It offers amazing new views of rock formations which have already made Staunton State Park famous.

The "hiker-only" Elk Falls Trail is located off of Chimney Rock Trail only .6 miles from the lower Lions Back/Chimney Rock trailhead. It switchbacks through rocky side slope, passes a beautiful wet meadow before dropping down to the rocky foot of spectacular Elk Falls. The Elk Falls Trail is .8 miles long and offers a stunning viewpoint of Staunton's 70+ foot waterfall, Elk Falls and the ever present mist it generates.

The total round trip distance from Staunton's upper parking areas to the Elk Falls observation area is 12 miles. This distance requires equestrians, hikers, and bikers to prepare for Staunton's often changing weather conditions. Be sure to have a park map, plenty of water, sunscreen, snacks, and foul weather gear. Pay attention to weather reports and the sky. A good rule of thumb is, "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

Prepare properly, arrive early, and visit these spectacular new trail additions to Staunton - Colorado's 42nd and newest state park.

See video they uploaded of the view from Elk Falls Observation area here: www.facebook.com/visitStauntonStatePark/videos/513241365538032/






Please give their Facebook page a Like! www.facebook.com/visitStauntonStatePark

Sept 16: Grand Opening of New Trails at Staunton State Park

We would like to cordially invite everyone to join us at the Staunton State Park Elk Falls Trail/Chimney Rock Trail Grand Opening Celebration & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Sept 16th! As you know, Staunton is our newest state park, open 3 years now, and they just completed adding a little over 4 miles of trails to the already 25 miles available to hikers, bikers, runners, and horseback riders. These two new trails take visitors to new views of our iconic Lions Head and close to our most celebrated feature, Elk Falls, and have been getting great reviews from those who've tried them out already.

There will be refreshments and a few people who will speak briefly at the Ranch Hand Group Picnic Area at 9:30am. If you would like to continue on with us, we'll shuttle up to the Chimney Rock Trail head at 10am for a ribbon cutting ceremony, then walk the 1.4 miles to Elk Falls. We expect the morning to take a couple of hours round trip.

Please join us!