Here’s an Easy, Dog-Friendly Hiking Trail in Castle Rock, Colorado
The East Plum Creek Trail
Looking for a dog-friendly hiking trail in Castle Rock, Colorado?
Check out the East Plum Creek Trail — an easy dog hike for your pup.
This nature trail meanders from the north end of Castle Rock down through the south end of town. It follows the East Plum Creek River.
I’m Ann, a dog lover and a team member at Cherished Companions Animal Clinic. Here’s what it was like to take my dog, Molly, on this Castle Rock trail in the fall.
First, the basics on the East Plum Creek Trail
- This is an on-leash dog trail.
- It’s an easy, flat trail.
- The trail is wide and paved.
- At this time, the trail runs close to six miles from one end to the other. It starts up by Castle Rock Middle School and runs down to South Perry Street (southwest of the Douglas County Fairgrounds).
Of course, you can make it as short as you want!
My dog and I explored the northern half of the trail, which we enjoyed.
Based on the trail map, the southern half looks like it runs close to I-25, so we skipped that part.
What to expect for you and your dog
Getting on the trail
We parked at The Meadows entrance to the trail. (Scroll down for parking info.)
To get on the East Plum Creek Trail, you head to the east side of the parking lot and walk down a slight, paved ravine.
The creek runs alongside the trail.
It’s sunny — there isn’t a lot of shade
While there are big trees alongside the trail that cast shadows, there isn’t a lot of shade. (Definitely take water for your dog on warmer days!)
I imagine the pavement could have been hot on my dog’s paws in the heart of summer. But on this fall day, it was perfect.
Every so often, you’ll find benches in strategic places under towering trees.
Mowed, grassy areas alongside the path
Alongside the paved trail, the grasses have been mowed.
There’s plenty of room for your dog to enjoy sniffing, trotting, and doing any necessary business.
(There are periodic trashcans along the trail, so you can get rid of poop bags.)
For the most part, I kept Molly out of the grassy areas, even the areas that were mowed.
My dog is like Velcro — anything and everything sticks to her. At this time of year, the grasses have dried up and are shedding their seeds. I didn’t want Molly picking up any pesky foxtail seeds.
Lots of dogs enjoying nature
We met plenty of dogs on this dog hike: three yellow labs, two Chihuahuas, a Boston terrier, and several mixed-breed dogs.
Most of the dogs didn’t want to socialize, and that was absolutely fine.
As I mentioned above, the trail is quite wide with mown grass on each side. It was easy to give wide berth to the dogs that needed some space.
Molly met several dog lovers who asked if they could say hello.
She never passes up new friends… and the ear scratches they give!
You can hear the hum of the highway
You can hear the hum of the highway from the East Plum Creek Trail.
We were fortunate to visit on a breezy day, so the rush of cars was muted by the wind blowing through the trees, shaking the fall leaves.
But the soft sound of highway noise is ever-present.
This is an easy trail that winds its way through natural surroundings
If you have a dog with a lot of energy, the trail runs for almost six miles one way. We passed several people jogging with their dogs.
But if your dog isn’t as active, this is still a great dog trail because it’s so flat.
The northern end of the trail that we explored follows the winding bends of the river, rather than being perfectly straight.
While there are no sweeping vistas, there’s plenty of nature to take in.
We saw a variety of birds, heard the rustling of a critter in the underbrush, and side-stepped around a small snake crossing the trail.
Molly and I were fortunate to enjoy the fall colors too — from the oranges, reds, and browns in the underbrush, to the yellows in the trees.
Parking for the East Plum Creek Trail at the Meadows
From I-25 and Founder’s Parkway, drive a ½ mile west on Founder’s Parkway.
The trailhead parking lot is on the left (the south side of the road). It’s across the street from The Meadows sign (just past the bridge).
As of fall 2018, there are 13 regular parking spots and one handicapped parking spot.
We had no issue getting a parking space, but at certain times of the day, it could be harder to park.
If you’re looking for an easy, dog-friendly trail in Castle Rock for walking or jogging, head to The Meadows and check this one out.
East Plum Creek Trail map
Get the official trail map here from the Town of Castle Rock.