Red Rocks Park Hiking Guide Colorado

Red Rocks Park hiking is not the greatest in the Colorado, but this world famous amphitheater is an extremely popular destination for those visiting the state. Located in Morrison, Colorado about 25 minutes outside of Denver this spot is almost always extremely crowded. The park has a a variety of easy walking trails to choose from. It’s widely known for its music venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater, which attracts top name artists from all over the world. Red Rocks is the perfect spot for a quick walk or run as it provides beautiful scenery and well maintained trails. 

Red Rocks Hiking Quick Facts

Red Rocks Park Hiking Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)

Distance: Various, most commonly accessed trail  is Trading Post Trail – 1.5 miles RT

Elevation Start: 6,153 ft

Summit: 6,153 ft (various trails drop to different elevations, but most will bring you back to this starting point)

Estimated Time to Complete: 20-25 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?

Season: Year Round – Expect occasional snow November – March

Check Weather Forecast

Directions to Red Rocks Park

Trailhead: Colorado Music Hall of Fame

Getting Here: The easiest way to get to the Trading Post Trail is heading to the Red Rocks Trading Post (crazy, I know!) inside the park. You can access the park through several entrances, but you want to look for the Red Rocks Park Rd entrance and follow the signs to the trading post once inside. You can enter this directly into your favorite navigation app.

Fee: Free parking is available throughout the park

Parking: Free parking is available throughout Red Rocks Park. However, the easiest way to access the Trading Post Trail is parking near the trading post. If that lot is full, there are several other lots in the vicinity that can access the trailhead.

Summary

Dogs: Dogs are allowed in the park, but must be kept on a leash.

Camping: Camping is not allowed at Red Rocks and honestly camping in Morrison is rather limited/nonexistent.

Make it a Loop: Most head to Red Rocks hiking trails to tackle the Trading Post trail which is a short loop. If you are looking for a longer walk, you can view the complete Red Rocks Park map here.

Trail X Factors: Crowds / Concert Schedule

A Red Rocks Park hiking trip is a very popular spot for both locals and those visiting the state. Besides the beautiful concert venue, the park provides a great opportunity for people to get their outdoors on without driving more than 25-30 minutes out of Denver. Regardless of the day or time you visit, you will be certain to run into a handful of other people on the Trading Post Trail and other trails in the park. Visiting the park early in the morning or later in the afternoon is recommended if you would like less foot traffic. Speaking of the concert venue, be sure to check out the schedule of who is playing before you visit the park. If you are looking for a quite trip to the park, you would probably want to avoid an evening where a show is taking place at the amphitheater.

Hike Tip(s): Red Rocks Park is a great spot for a quick walk. The popular Trading Post Trail is solid, but be sure to check out the other trails in the park. Many of them are far less popular (i.e., less crowded) and provide a fantastic view of the beautiful rocks in the park. If you are looking to do something with the kids, visit neighboring Dinosaur Ridge (parking directly across from the north most entrance of Red Rocks park off Hog Back Rd.) This is a cool opportunity to see some dinosaur fossils in the hills and provides a switch of pace from the pure walking based experience in Red Rocks. If you are visiting the park during Colorado winter months (October – May) you may encounter snow, but most likely it will not hinder your hike in any way. 

Best Views: When I photograph the park, I try to take shots at a variety of different locations. Some of the access roads that bring you into the park provide really cool landscape shots of the entire area. The tunnel on the north side of the park provides a really unique opportunity for some creative photos. Be sure to look out for traffic because Alameda Parkway is highly traveled.

Red Rocks Hiking Route Guide

Gear Needed

• Men’s Trail Runners
• Women’s Trail Runners
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
• Backpack
• Food & Water
• Optional: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• Optional: Headlamp
• Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
• Optional: Camera and Lens
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
• *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

My Trip to Red Rocks Park

Red Rocks Park hiking is something that I frequently did when I used to live in Lakewood, Colorado. Since this spot was essentially in my backyard, i tended to visit it multiple times per week. For that reason, I will leave out my trip summary, but if you have any questions or need tips about the park, be sure to leave a comment below!