Joy on the Trails is a blog series detailing all the incredible hiking trails within an hour of Denver. All the trails featured are accessible to anyone new to hiking, or just wanting to get out without driving for hours into the mountains. I hope you uncover your own joy of hiking and I hope you’re inspired to try a few of my favorite trails. And if you’re so inclined, join me sometime… I’m out there a lot!
An old family ranch with a cool story
In the winter, you may drive up Hwy 285 toward Conifer and see people sledding on a truly epic hill on the left side of the road before you come to town. Meyer Ranch is noted for this fun sledding hill, but also for its lovely forested hikes.
The trail system is laid out like a figure 8 with two loops on top of eachother. And there is a spur at the top for an additional mile that takes you to some really spectacular views. If you do the whole thing, you’re at about 4.5 miles.
The trail is entirely in lodgepole pine forest and is incredibly quiet. This hike starts uphill and continues with incline until you’re half way done - either at the top of the spur, or at the top of the figure 8 loop. Then you’re coasting all the way down.
But the cool part of Meyer Ranch isn’t necessarily the hiking… it has an interesting story behind it’s inception! It was initially a homestead in the 1870s owned by the McIntyre family. They ran a thriving agriculture operation during their stay.
Then in the 1940s, part of the mountain was actually a ski run and was called Mount Lugo! That is why the name of the spur at the top of the park is called “Old Ski Run Trail”. There was a single tow rope that took you about 150 verticle feet up. Such a far cry from the impressive gondolas at modern resorts!
What’s cool is that clearing the old forest for the ski runs made room for a spectacular aspen forest. Hiking at Meyer Ranch in the fall is what you must do!
So how did it get the name Meyer Ranch? In the 1950s, Norman and Ethel Meyer bought it, closed the ski run, and continued to farm and ranch the acreage until they died and left it to the Jefferson County Park System.
GPS Locator: 10490 South Turkey Creek Road, Morrison, CO 80465
Managed by: Jefferson County Open Space
Come hiking with me!
If you want more information on this or other trails in the area, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Just like the homes I sell, I can even show it to you in person! And learn more about my Realtor life here.
