Dawson Butte, located just outside of Castle Rock is a great trail for any rider. There is a five mile easy loop around the park that is great for any level horse and rider. When it is wet there is one small water crossing that is more just water over the trail. It was the only place my green trail horse balked.
The trail is well-groomed and not rocky. Good for unshod horses or horses like mine who have sliders on for reining competition. The trail is lined in places with scrub oak, through a wooded area, and open in others. There are also numerous out trails that meander through the park. These are mostly there to feed the small cross country course. Because I had my reining horse I wan't able to scope out any of the jumps but they look well made with a variety of questions. Looks like a lot of fun. The natural beauty here is outstanding with wildlife like deer that join you. We completed the five mile loop in about 2 hours. This included me riding and three people walking with two dogs.
All in all everyone enjoyed themselves.
The parking is well thought out with lots of places to park even a big horse trailer. The one thing the park asks is manure to be picked up from the parking lot. I am ashamed to say not many horse people followed this rule as there was manure everywhere. If we want to have places to ride we need to respect those places rules or they will stop allowing it to be open to horseback riding. Please don't let this happen by making sure you have a fork to clean up after yourself.
Dawson Butte is a great trail I would recommend to anyone. Happy riding.
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