Internationally famous for its outdoor, rock-walled amphitheater, Red Rocks Park stretches across the base of Mt. Morrison, just west of Denver. Monoliths of Pennylvanian sandstone (the Fountain Formation) rise above the foothill shrublands, creating a scenic landscape for hikers and naturalists. Just east of the Park, the Dakota Hogback, Cretaceous in age, harbors dinosaur footprints and additional trails.
Foothill grasslands, studded with yucca and juniper, and streamside thickets of Gambel oak and mountain mahogany surround the massive rock formations, attracting a superb variety of wildlife. Golden eagles, common ravens and red-tailed hawks often circle overhead as squadrons of cliff swallows and white-throated swifts swoop along the monoliths. Canyon and rock wrens, rock squirrels, Colorado chipmunks and rock pigeons inhabit the sandstone cliffs and a colorful mix of songbirds nest and feed in the adjacent thickets; among the latter are lazuli buntings, black-headed grosbeaks, rufous-sided and green-tailed towhees, Virginia's warblers, yellow warblers and yellow-breasted chats. Scrub jays, loggerhead shrikes and black-billed magpies noisily patrol the open shrublands, Say's phoebes flycatch from fence posts and herds of mule deer browse the rocky slopes, wary of coyotes and mountain lions that hunt across the foothills.
Red Rocks Park lies west of Colorado 86, between Morrison and I-70 (take Exit 259 from the interstate and head south). A network of roadways and foot trails provide access to this scenic refuge; plan an early morning, weekday visit to avoid crowds and to see an excellent variety of wildlife.
