The South Hogback Open Space
Managed by Ken Caryl Ranch Foundation
598 acres1.5 mi of trail
Cathy Johnson TrailColumbine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ken Caryl
18% of Ken Caryl’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 18% of Ken Caryl’s land is conserved, about 1,129 acres. 8.7 miles of mapped trail cross Ken Caryl, 0.9 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #30 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
1,129 acres · of 9.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.7 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,170 ac
35 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
26 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 22 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Ken Caryl?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ken Caryl have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ken Caryl is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #30 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ken Caryl’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land35 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,170 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 82%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Ken Caryl’s 18% is ahead of 80% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is The South Hogback Open Space, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sanctuary Park
Managed by Foothills Park & Recreation District
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Sanctuary Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Deer Creek Park
Managed by Foothills Park & Recreation District
23 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sledding Hill Park
Managed by Foothills Park & Recreation District
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
The South Hogback Open Space598 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Ken Caryl Ranch Foundation
DirectionsSanctuary Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Foothills Park & Recreation District
Deer Creek Park23 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Foothills Park & Recreation District
DirectionsEagle Meadows Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Elk Meadows Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Christensen Meadows Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Valley View Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Foothills Park & Recreation District
Willow Creek Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hildebrand Ranch Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Jefferson County Open Space
DirectionsDakota Station Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSledding Hill Park27 acres · Foothills Park & Recreation District
DirectionsKipling Villas Greenbelt21 acres · Foothills Park & Recreation District
DirectionsWingate South Park20 acres · Foothils Park & Recreation District
DirectionsLilley Gulch Park19 acres · Foothills Park & Recreation District
DirectionsKen Caryl Ranch House Park19 acres
Coronado Park18 acres · Foothills Park & Recreation District
Ken Caryl Ranch Community Park14 acres
DirectionsSettlement Pond Park9 acres
DirectionsChief Colorow Park7 acres
DirectionsPrairie Meadow Park6 acres · Ken Caryl Ranch
DirectionsClassification Natural Resource Protection1 acres · Jefferson County Open Space
Territory Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,129 conserved acres
18% of Ken Caryl’s land. Who manages Ken Caryl’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits621 ac
Regional agency419 ac
Private owners57 ac
County34 ac
Army Corps of Engineers18 ac
State land board5 ac
Private Other or Unknown · 621 acLocal Park · 219 acLocal Recreation Area · 210 acPrivate Park · 57 acLocal Other or Unknown · 25 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Hogback Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 621 | Closed |
| The Meadows Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 120 | Open |
| Jeffco Open Space Private Park | Private owners | 57 | Open |
| Sledding Hill Park Local Park | Regional agency | 30 | Open |
| Lilley Gulch Recreation Center Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Coronado Park Local Park | Regional agency | 27 | Open |
| Chief Colorow Park Local Park | Regional agency | 26 | Open |
| Lilly Gulch Park Local Park | Regional agency | 25 | Open |
| Meadows Greenbelts Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 25 | Open |
| Stockwell / Chatfield Basin Legacy Local Other or Unknown | County | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Ken Caryl
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ken Caryl
Chief Colorow
DirectionsTot LotIn Christensen Meadows Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Christensen Meadows Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Willow Creek Park
DirectionsPlus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ken Caryl
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Ken Caryl
4 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Ken Caryl
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Ken Caryl
Ranch House Frisbee GolfIn Ken Caryl Ranch House Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.8 miHorses · 1.5 miUnpaved · 3.8 mi
Cathy Johnson Trail1.3 mi
Sanctuary Trail0.5 mi
South Estes Court0.2 mi
Columbine Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
26 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
22 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
28Tennis
12Baseball
8Soccer
5Basketball
4Pickleball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ken Caryl: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 48 | 57 | 62 | 71 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 66 | 55 | 47 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
January is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 2.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ken Caryl →
Next door
Ken Caryl and its neighbors
Ken Caryl has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Caryl | 18% | 0.9 | 35 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Dakota Ridge | 24% | 2.6 | 38 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Columbine | 17% | 1.1 | 20 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ken Caryl
Where can I hike in Ken Caryl?
The longest trail networks: The South Hogback Open Space, 1.5 miles; Sanctuary Park, 0.4 miles; Deer Creek Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ken Caryl is conserved land?
18% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ken Caryl’s trails?
The South Hogback Open Space and Sanctuary Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ken Caryl?
26 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes, 22 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ken Caryl?
50,303 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ken Caryl or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,187 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ken Caryl have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ken Caryl neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →