Castlewood Canyon State Park

A Canyon Cut Into The Black Forest Plateau South Of Denver, Holding The Ruins Of The Castlewood Canyon Dam, Which Failed Catastrophically In August 1933 And Sent A Flood Down Cherry Creek Into The Middle Of Denver. · Franktown, Colorado

At around two in the morning on 3 August 1933 the Castlewood Canyon Dam gave way, and a wall of water went down Cherry Creek and into Denver, thirty-five miles away, flooding the city centre by dawn. Two people died, which given the scale was remarkably few, largely because a telephone operator stayed at her post and rang ahead. The broken dam is still there, in a canyon cut into the Black Forest plateau, and it is the centrepiece of a state park that most Denver residents have never visited. Around it are ponderosa, canyon walls that draw climbers, easy trails along the rim and down to the creek, and one of the better short walks within an hour of the city. It is quiet, largely because everyone drives the other way, towards the mountains. One warning worth having in advance: there are two entrances and no through road between them inside the park, and arriving at the wrong one costs an hour.

2989 South Colorado 83, Franktown, Colorado, 80116, United States

Open daily year-round during daylight hours, with gates locking at a posted seasonal time. A Colorado state parks pass or daily vehicle pass is required. The visitor centre keeps its own hours. There are two entrances, east and west, and they are NOT connected by a through road inside the park - arriving at the wrong one means a long drive round, which is the most common mistake here. Trails can close for rockfall and for wildlife.

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