3 Fun Staunton State Park Hikes for Families
There is a lot to see at Staunton State Park in Colorado. Located down 285, this state park is full of hiking, biking, wildlife, and even a great waterfall. But if you’re going with kids, you’ll want to make sure you find the just right trail for everyone to enjoy. I’ve written up the best Staunton State Park hikes for families to help you out.
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We recently went to Staunton with our 4 kids and had a great time trying out a few different trails. You’ll find that these trails have something unique to offer, making them exciting for the kids.
Here are 3 awesome Staunton State Park Hikes for families. You’re sure to enjoy them at your next visit to this fabulous park!
Table of Contents
Davis Ponds
This is the first hike we did and it was perfect! To do this hike, simply park at the visitor center. Then, (facing the visitor center), head to the right where you’ll see a sign that welcomes you to the Davis Ponds trail.
This family-friendly hike in Staunton State Park is the #1 hike for kids. It’s really easy to hike and navigate and it isn’t too long.
As a bonus, you’ll end at a couple ponds (you can fish here!) There is some non-natural build up around the ponds, but it’s still a pretty scenic area and really fun for the kids to walk around.
Bonus: there’s a bathroom (vault) at the ponds.
There were plenty of people laying out picnics and enjoy a day at the ponds.
Once you’re done at the water, finish the loop back to the visitor center.
Old Mill
The Trailhead for Old Mill is located at the very top of the park. If you go on a busy summer day or busy weekend, you’ll have to try your luck at getting up here.
Basically, if the lot is full at the top, a ranger will start pacing the road to 1-out, 1-in. If you can, you can park at the lot next to the entrance to that road and wait till a car comes out.
If you go when it’s not busy, you should be fine as there is lots of parking up top.
Anyway…
Once you’ve parked, head to the very end of the lot at the top where you’ll see the trailhead for Old Mill.
👉🏼 Like hiking to structures? Check out the castle at Mount Falcon (just down the road!) or at Lair O’ the Bear!
I’m not gonna lie, this trail is pretty steep and it’s very rocky. But it’s not terribly long. You basically go up a long steep hill, with plenty of trees and even a little creek to the side, and end up at the top.
The top is awesome, especially for kids, and really worth the steep hike.
Up top you’ll find an old sawmill that is collapsed (and fenced off). The Sawmill was built in the 1920’s and used by loggers. Wood was used for cabins, buildings, and even railroads.
The mill remnants you see collapsed in the 1970’s.
👉🏼 You’ll also enjoy: What Makes Hiking so Fun?
As you walk around the top area, you’ll see plenty of remnants from the mill. Behind the collapsed mill is the Bunkhouse, where 6 workers could stay, and tons of equipment left behind.
All these remnants make this hike really worth it, and really exciting for the kids. It’s always fun to have a unique destination at the end of a hike.
Staunton Ranch Trail
The Staunton Ranch Trail is the trail that run all the way up the main area of the park. You can park at the visitor center and begin just to the east, or drive up to the next parking area and begin there.
The Staunton Ranch Trail is long. Again, it goes all the way to the top of the park. It climbs the whole way, and drops you at a lot of other trailheads.
Do I recommend doing this entire trail with kids and toddlers? No.
Do I recommend doing it with teens? Maybe. This could be a fun trail for older kids who are well accustomed to longer hikes. It’s great for getting a taste of the entire park. But it is long.
So what I do recommend it picking up Staunton Ranch Trail near the visitor center, heading south, east, and looping back north and over.
This will put you a little bit on the Mason Creek Trail. You do not want to do the entire Mason Creek Trail with kids, so make sure to loop back over. This will put you by the next set of parking lots. You’ll cut down and head south back toward the visitor center.
Using Staunton Ranch as an alternative to parking
While I don’t recommend the entire Staunton Ranch Trail for kids due to how long it is, it is a great alternative if older hikers need to get to trailheads at the top of the park and can’t find any parking.
We were able to find a parking spot in the lower two lots (the visitor center and the next lot up), but the road was closed by a ranger, who was metering the road one-car-out one-car-in.
We ended up just waiting a while and watching for a car to exit and then swooped in to be able to drive up to the highest lot with the other trailheads.
But if the park is packed and your chances of getting to the higher trailhead parking lot is slim, you could just park at the lower lots and hike up the Staunton Ranch Trail. Again, I don’t recommend this with kids as it adds a few extra miles. But adult hikers could manage with enough water and fuel.
Where is Staunton State Park?
Staunton State Park is located about an hour southwest of downtown Denver, technically located at 12102 Elk Creek Rd, Pine, Colorado.
To get there, take US-6 west to I-70. You’ll take I-70 west for a short time and hop on C-470 east. Then exit on 285 S towards “Fairplay”. You’ll stay on 285 about 20 miles before you come to the entrance to Staunton State Park (watch for the signs!)
It’ll be located about 6 miles past the town of Conifer.
What About Elk Falls?
About Elk Falls… This is a beautiful waterfall you can hike to. I didn’t include it because it is not one of the kid-friendly hikes in Staunton State Park.
Elk Falls is a 12-mile hike with significant elevation gain. It takes an adult around 4.5 hours to complete and gain nearly 2,000 feet in elevation. It takes off from the top parking lot and ventures 6 miles into the mountains. You’ll come across the gorgeous elk falls pond
So yes, it’s a beautiful hike, but not one of the top family trails in the park.
Staunton Visitor Center
Before you begin, the visitor center is a great place to stop. Not only does it have information, souvenirs, and exhibits, but it has clean, real bathrooms.
Staunton State Park Accessibility
One thing I saw at Staunton that I hadn’t seen before was the use of the all-terrain wheelchair.
Staunton was the first Colorado State Park to get an all-terrain wheelchair, making it so the park was accessible to more and more people!
The chair can be used on 3 of the trails, including the Staunton Ranch Trail and the Davis Ponds trail, which is where we saw it.
This opportunity began with Staunton and Craig Hospital making a partnership. Staunton decided to update trails to be more accessible by widening paths and removing rocks and roots. Craig was willing to lone out track chairs to patients who wanted to visit the park.
After a couple years of success, Staunton was able to get its own chair for visitors to use.
If you’d like to use the track chair for the day, you can reserve it by filling out a form.
Can You Camp at Staunton State Park?
Yes, you can camp at Staunton!
Visitors can enjoy one of 25 campsite in the park. Each site is designated for tent camping…there is no RV camping at Staunton.
Depending on which campsite you get, you’ll have to hike in anywhere from 180 yards to just around a half-mile for the farthest site.
Sites allow up to 6 people and the fee starts at $28. The campground has vault toilets and each site provides a tent pad.
You must make a reservation to camp at Staunton State Park.
Other Fun Things to do at Staunton
Beyond the awesome Staunton State Park hikes, there is plenty more to enjoy at the park.
- Fishing- Davis ponds are sticked during the summer. Fishing license required.
- Archery- 16 targets and 17 lanes. Included with your park pass!
- Picnic– One of our favorite things to do is picnic with a view! There are picnic tables around the park to enjoy.
- Special Events- Occasionally events like a guided wildflower hike, archery instruction, and fishing guides happen at the park.
Staunton State Park Hikes for Families
As you can see, there is plenty to explore at this Colorado state park. The best of the park consists of 30+ miles of hiking trails of all levels, leading to unique and scenic spots.
Next time you visit Staunton State Park with kids, make sure to hike to Davis Ponds where they can watch people fishing or just run around the beautiful area. If they are up for a little harder hike, try the Old Mill Trail where they can walk around all the mill equipment and collapsed structure.
Both trails are very interesting for kids and are some of the best Staunton State Park hikes for families.
Want more Colorado State Parks? Check out:
What to see at Castlewood Canyon with kids!
Guide to Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Kid Friendly Trails at Eldorado Canyon State Park
Why You Must See Rifle Falls State Park
