Castle Rock to host guided National Trails Day hikes at Gateway Mesa

Castle Rock is turning Gateway Mesa Open Space into a hands-on introduction to one of its newer trail systems, with five guided hikes, educational booths and giveaways set for Saturday, June 6.

The event, which runs from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., is Castle Rock’s National Trails Day observance and is meant to do more than fill a morning on the calendar. The Town says it is using the day to highlight Gateway Mesa’s history, geology, wildlife, plants and trail system, while building more familiarity with a 276-acre open space on the town’s eastern boundary.

Gateway Mesa stands apart from many of Castle Rock’s other trail options because of its setting and its restrictions. The property sits on a bluff with steep, rock-capped cliffs overlooking Franktown and the Cherry Creek Valley, with views that stretch from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak. It is also hiking-only, with mountain bikes, technical rock climbing and horses prohibited, making it a pedestrian-focused place for walking, viewing and conservation-minded recreation.

The Parks and Recreation Department will lead three guided hikes on Legacy Trail and two on Chuck’s Loop Trail. Legacy Trail is the more challenging option, a roughly 1.6-mile route on the western loop that passes through a narrow slot canyon. Chuck’s Loop is also 1.6 miles, but it is the easier walk, crossing flat open grassland. The Town limits each guided hike to 15 participants and recommends the event for ages 7 and older.

All groups will start at the main trailhead parking lot at 4678 E. Highway 86 in Castle Rock. The town’s trail materials say Chuck’s Loop was named for a previous owner of the property, a reminder that Gateway Mesa’s identity is tied not just to scenery but to the land’s local history.

Castle Rock is also using the event as a public-facing introduction to open-space stewardship. Representatives from the Town and the Castle Rock Parks and Trails Foundation will be on site, alongside the booths and giveaways, as the town leans on National Trails Day to build support for the kinds of recreational investments that need repeated use, not just ribbon cuttings, to become part of daily life in Douglas County.

American Hiking Society says National Trails Day 2026 falls on Saturday, June 6, and marks the 34th annual observance. For Castle Rock, the date gives Gateway Mesa a national platform and a local purpose: helping residents see the 276-acre site as a place to return to, not just a place to pass by.