There are a few different waterfalls outside of Denver. One of the easiest to get to is probably Cherry Creek Falls. It’s south of Denver in Castlewood Canyon State Park. There are two different entrances into the park. One is off of CO-83, and this can lead you to Cherry Creek Falls. It’s a longer hike to the falls than the second option, though on a nice day it would be a great way to explore the canyon.
Today, the weather was a little bit iffier…While there weren’t terrible storms, there was still some lightning off in the distance. I decided to drive to the other entrance, which leads to a shorter hike to the falls. The second entrance is off of CO-86 on Castlewood Canyon Road.
I ended up parking at the Westside Trailhead parking area. There may be another parking area a bit further along that will get you a bit closer to the falls. Even so, I really didn’t walk very far to get to the falls. I started at the Westside Trailhead and then connected into the Creek Bottom Trail. It’s about a 0.5 mile hike round-trip to the falls.
The best view of the falls is from the Creek Bottom Trail. Oddly enough, you won’t be at the creek bottom, as that could be rather dangerous. There is a faint trail that leads to the top of the falls, but you’re not going to get a very good view, and I wouldn’t recommend it. The falls are taller than they appear, as you can’t get extremely close.
Directions:
- From the intersection of CO-83 and CO-86, head west on CO-86.
- After a short distance (about half a mile), turn left on to Castlewood Canyon Road.
- Drive on Castlewood Canyon Road to the entrance of the state park. Drive until you reach the Westside Trailhead. You can also possibly drive a bit further, though I don’t know what parking area it would be.
- Whatever trailhead you start at, you want to connect into the Creek Bottom Trail. You’d want to head southwest on this trail.
Accessibility: 7/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 15-20′
Length of Hike: 0.5 miles round-trip
Cherry Creek Falls in May 2017
Where in the World is Cherry Creek Falls?
The Waterfall Record 