South Valley Park is on the south end of Ken-Caryl Valley. The Valley was owned and named by John Schafer for his two sons (Kent and Carroll) in the early 20th century. There are numerous housing developments in the north valley, but the 900+ acres that make up the South Valley Park were sold to Open Space by Martin-Marrieta in 1997. Lockheed Martin still maintains its corporate headquarters in an unusual building on adjacent land. This facility is visible from much of the park's trails. Back into prehistory, native American tribes used the valley for winter camp and hunting as far back as 10,000 years ago. Some of the archaeological evidence suggests that this area was in use before the building of the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
The geology of the area is particularly interesting. There are many large red sandstone formations, not as awe-inspiring as Red Rocks or Garden of the Gods, but nonetheless fascinating to look at. Especially with the white sandstone outcropping that forms the eastern boundary looming in the background.The north trailhead (take C-470 to Ken-Caryl exit, turn left on Ken-Caryl Road, then veer left to South Valley Road...the park is on the left side of the road) has restrooms (with running, potable water), picnic areas and is handicap accessible. From this trailhead, you can walk along the sandstone formations on the Swallow Trail, an easy, even-grade gravel trail that has great views of the sandstone formations all along the lefthand side of the trail. At the end of the .9 mile trail, go left to catch the Coyote Song Trail back to the trailhead. This trail runs between the red sandstone formations and the white sandstone cliffs.
If you press straight-on at the end of the Swallow Trail, the path crosses a small wetland and winds trough waist-high grass for another .3 miles. From here you can cross the road and climb up to the Grazing Elk Trail which circles a meadow where a small herd of elk can frequently be seen. The climb to the plateau where the meadow sits is reasonable and only .3 miles long. At the sign, take a left so that you hike the loop counterclockwise. The walk through the meadow is
pleasant enough, but the trail is pretty narrow (only 18 inches in some places) and you can expect to wade through grass that is often chest-high. I didn't see any elk on the day I hiked it, but it was midday (almost any type of wildlife is best sought in the early morning or late evening) and the grass was tall enough in some places to hide a good sized bull-elk. I saw lots of elk and mule deer tracks along the entire trail. The views from the meadow are cluttered with million-dollar homes and the Lockheed Martin building, so don't go looking for a sense of wilderness. The trail is pretty homogeneous except for a short section (less than 1/4 mile) about a mile past the trail split. Here there is a gulch that tumbles into Deer Creek Canyon with a wide variety of sandstone, granite and slate and a few cedar trees. This was a welcomed place to sit on a boulder in the shade and take a break.Rattlesnake Gultch Trail spurs off of the southern loop and, in a .3 mile hile, crosses a very narrow arm of a Denver Mountain Park and ends at the trailhead and parking area for the Deer Creek Canyon Park Open Space.
The lower trails are very family-family friendly. My two-year-old walked most of the 2 mile loop at Swallow and Coyote Song Trails. The facilities are among the nicest at any of the Open Space Parks. The park is free.
Take some precautions when walking the Elk Grazing Trail. Use sunblock...I got a little burned and it was mid-December on a day with pretty consistent cloud cover. The summer sun will fry you. Take care when viewing elk in their natural habitat. Elk don't like being approached. Every year, some sly local captures pictures or video of some tourist being chased and sometimes mauled by a big elk. (I'll always have my camera with me on this trail for just such a purpose.) These are wild animals. Respect their space.
Trail Difficulty:
Swallow Trail: 1.6 (easy)
Coyote Song Trail: 2.1 (easy)
Grazing Elk Trail from the road crossing: 3.4 (easy)
To download a trail map, click here.
Have fun!
