Castle Rock has been calling me since our first visit to Colorado School of Mines in Golden in Spring Break of 2021. That visit was to check out the school and Samuel is now a Sopjomore. It’s taken me three years to climb it and it did not disappoint. It towers over Golden’s valley, calling you to ascend for its views. Remember to take plenty of water.
While it’s a short hike up about 500 ft from close to downtown and the college campus, I recommend a longer route that allows you to experience more of South Table, whether it is the wild flowers and birds or the distant views of Denver.
I started at the Shoshonite Trailhead which has plenty of parking and is behind Faith Lutheran Church’s aptly named South Table Mountain Preschool. The trailhead includes an information board and there were some pamphlets you could grab when I went. It’s between 2 and 2.5 miles one-way from here to Castle Rock.
The climb up is on a well defined trail that is shared with mountain bikers. It’s a little loose in places but should not be an issue with regular trainers, unless there is snow or ice. You need to look out for bikes but the couple I encountered were going at sensible speeds.
Once on the top, the views soon open up.
There is a large flat area on the top that allows you to look down on the football field or the Coors brewery, or across to North Table. I hung out a while, enjoying watching other people come and go and helping with photos. It was not crowded but it wasn’t secluded either. But this was a fine morning in September. There was plenty of time to soak in the views.
There are many miles of trails on South Table to enjoy. Away from Castle Rock, you might not bump into another soul. I hunted geocaches which was fun and took me to interesting places, but you can just explore and enjoy the views, wildlife, and seclusion.
This hike was on a hot, late September morning. Most of the wildflowers had died and the birds and small mammals were not active. A couple of months previously, I’d hiked up to South Table on a cooler day and the birds, flowers, and mammals were so much more active, but unfortunately my camera was not. I look forward to trying it when there is snow!
So after three years, I made it up Castle Rock. Samuel has another 2.5 years at Mines so I look forward to several more explorations of South Table, and might even wander back to Castle Rock!
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