This was my first visit to Castlewood Canyon State Park and what a time to go. The park had received a decent snowfall during the past week and those spots that receive lots of sun had turned to pure mud. It was an adventure and a fun one at that, so I didn’t mind too much. If you haven’t been to Castlewood Canyon State Park in Colorado, it is a beautiful place to visit. It is southeast of Denver and borders the plains not too far from Castle Rock. 
I took a scenic dirt road to get there from I-25 and definitely enjoyed the ride. There were these super expressive herd of cattle that I thoroughly enjoyed photographing. They were a little skittish if you moved too quickly. However, f you stood still taking their picture, they would all come over to the fence and have these expressive looks on their faces. So much fun! I also loved the the one reddish brown one among all the black ones. The views of Pikes Peak were awesome as well and I would say these cattle are spoiled with that view. Actually they probably have no clue about the view, but I certainly appreciated it. Onto the hike… First, there was a stop at the visitors’ center to find out a little bit more about the park and get a map. I decided to take the L or Lake Gulch trail from the Juniper Rock parking area. It descends into the canyon in a moderate slope. I believe it’s almost a mile until you have to cross the creek by hopping rocks. Then I took a left towards the old dam and up a few switch backs to reach the top of the rocks and canyon. There were some beautiful views up here! Upon returning down the switch backs, I backtracked until I reached the K or Inner Canyon Trail which follows the river along the bottom of the canyon. This was where the real mud was found! 
There were some beautiful views inside the canyon especially if you occasionally look up to see the rocks. I even spotted a few rock climbers enjoying themselves on this beautiful sunny day. Waterfalls, frozen over parts of the river covered in snow, and amazing rock formations were some of the fun stuff that were spotted along the trail. I’d say this trail back to the parking area is about a mile and a quarter. The ascent up to the parking area was a little difficult with the snow pack that has turned to a bit of ice. Might have been nice to have some trekking poles. 
Over all a great day was had and a few fun shots were captured. Can’t wait to go back to Castlewood Canyon State Park when the place is green and lush with vegetation!
