The drive south from Denver was beautiful. I can see why Airbur lives in Castle Rock - what a beautiful area. Took the Rampart Range dirt road from Sedalia to the trailhead was very bumpy (from grading) but a great area for camping and riding ATV's. Very surprised there was no charge to enter the National Park.

Once at the trailhead, we noticed Mike and Lori (76FordBronco and 76FordBroncoGirl) beautiful blue LUBR in the parking lot. We start hiking and the trail is fairly tame for the first 25%. That is where we saw Mike and Lori as they were coming down the trail. Great to see Mike and Lori and took a much needed rest. We hiked to the half-way point marker. We took a small lunch at ate right off the trail. The second half got a little steeper and rockier. Lots of families and dogs were on the trail but not overly crowded - especially for a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.

The 1.5 mile hike to the top took a little longer than expected but it is one of the most groomed hiking trails I have ever been on. At the end of the trail, there are 143 step staircase to the fire lookout where Bill the Forest Ranger has been working for Decades. What a view from the top! You can see hundreds of miles in all directions. The view of Pike's Peak to the south was amazing. The hike down was leisurely and scenic. Easy to take in the views from the trail.

We didn't take the Bronco because of the 90+ Degree heat, distance, tons of dust, and little kids. It was a smart move because the kids slept from the Trailhead to the Cherry Cricket which took a little over an hour. Didn't stop at Bud's in Sedalia because my two kids instantly fell asleep when we got in the truck.

What a great way to spend a Saturday with the family.