Conifer Community Park, Conifer, Colorado

Miles and I ran away to the mountains and went to Conifer Community Park. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous park! There is so much more to the place then I saw, I stayed at the entrance with the dog park, so explore the website if you're looking into visiting.

There was plenty of parking with an information cabin right at the entrance. From what I saw there was a playground, field for sports that was fenced in, the trail for the dog park area, disc golf going up into the mountains, and a road to follow for camping and events that I did not explore.

Miles and I parked and followed the trail for a while. We ended up in the disc golf area and stopped for lunch. The trail was in great shape, there were trees everywhere, and we really enjoyed ourselves!

It was a little hard to find. We came across it by accident trying to find another park that was across the street. That park was locked up so I just turned into Conifer Community Park instead. So for your convenience I found the address: 11369 S Foxton Road, Conifer, CO 80433

Red Rocks, Golden, Colorado

I have lived in Colorado for 4 years and have never been to Red Rocks. I know, right!? I finally ventured out with my dog Miles and a friend.

My first impression was that it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I always pictured a vast, rolling, area of red rocks. That is not the case. The Red Rocks Park is only 640 acres which is 1 square mile. Now that that's out of the way: the place is very pretty and the amphitheater is impressive and holds almost 10,000 people.

There is a hiking trail that is under 2 miles that starts and ends at the gift shop/trading post. It is the only official trail unless you just wandering around. The trail was hard to follow with a lot of forks that were not marked about which direction to take. We took the wrong way a lot because it looked more intentional than the other path and we would end up at the road. Somehow we got turned around and went back the way we came. It was not just us; a few other couples were lost and asking where to go and at one point a group that was behind us were then in front of us. It was crowded with people exercising and that was only made harder by not being able to navigate clearly. There were also many people there getting professional photos taken so you feel pressure to avoid those areas even though there's just the one trail.

Because a lot of locals use it for everyday use, it's not the best tourist attraction.

The sights are pretty and it's worth a concert if you get a chance. I still haven't but Matt agrees.

You can see the website for Red Rocks here. It's free to get in and there's a lot of other things around it so it could be worth a visit. Just don't go in with high hopes like I did. 

Pheasant Run Park, Aurora, Colorado

Today Miles and I went on a walk and explored a new park in the neighborhood across from us. It wasn't a far walk, so I was hoping for a fun place for us to go.

I'm sure people in the neighborhood love it. There's a pool, play area, and tennis courts. There's also a couple open grass areas and two picnic table areas. Don't let the list fool you, it's a small park for how much stuff is there.

I guess if you live close it would be worth going to, but for Miles and I, it's not really worth the walk.

Play area and part of the pool. Tennis courts are behind the pool from here. 

Today was a beautiful, fall day! Don't mistake a beautiful day for a beautiful park. 

Picnic table. 

If I lived in one of those houses I'm sure I'd have a few lunches right here. 

Hudson Gardens, Littleton, Colorado

Today I drove across town in crazy heavy rain to explore Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado. I was nervous I was wasting my time because the rain was rotating between crazy heavy to just a drizzle. Either way I had my umbrella, my camera, and an hour to spare, so I was going!

Hudson Gardens is a garden and event center with 30 different gardens or attractions. Admittance is free or you can plan an education trip. You can also hold your events or ceremonies there, as well. My day just consisted of being the only non-employee, on a rainy day, wandering through the gardens.

 The first thing you see is a cute circular water lily pond. Even now I don't know if those huge lily pads are real or not. Close up they looked real, but in the photo they look fake. 

 The Rose Garden is a raised garden with a fountain and pond in the middle that you enter through arbors. I really liked it. I'm not a big rose person, but I still wanted a picture of me standing under the arbor!

Most walkways are lined with beautiful flower beds. 

Just a bench in a clearing. Makes me want to have a seat. 

It was peaceful to wander around on my own and explore all the different areas.

View from off a ledge.

I found a fun little train village with working trains that run multiple times a day.

Hudson Gardens has a bit more than just decorative gardens, they also have a few practical ones meant to just grow. There's a few flower gardens, a pumpkin patch, and things like that. 

It was worth getting a little wet and muddy to get some pictures of water covered flowers. 

These are beehives. I kept my distance. 

I LOVE all the benches everywhere. Makes me want to bring a book and picnic with me next time. 

Rainy Day

One of my favorite places I actually didn't even get to, but only took pictures of from across the water. But it was a gorgeous little island.

Lovely place for a ceremony with my favorite island in the background. 

Looking through a weeping willow. 

I like that you can see the row of drips in the water from the trees above. 

I found fall there. 

Crazy, peeling, tree. 

This was called the plant zoo. 

Following the winding, muddy, roads. 

There were a lot of mini paths like this that I wanted to follow. Next time when it's a sunny day. 

If it weren't for the clouds, you'd see the mountains in this shot. 

If you love bridges like I do, this place will be amazing. 

I really enjoyed myself at Hudson Gardens. Here are some good things about the place:

1. It was free to go in.
2. There are maps everywhere so you don't get lost. 
3. There are information booths by most gardens so you can learn more if that's why you went. 
4. It was very kept up with. 
5. There are more than a billion places to take photos that would look amazing. 
6. It's open every day of the year. 
7. There's a picnic area towards the back with tables set up.
8. There's trash cans and water coolers set up around for your convenience. 

Here are just a few downsides:

1. The sprinklers go full circle, so if you're close to one you're going to get hit. 
2. There's not anything for kids to entertain them so don't drag them along. 

Hudson Gardens is located in Littleton, Colorado, off Santa Fe and very close to main street. 

6115 South Santa Fe Drive Littleton, CO 80120

I don't feel like giving it a star rating, or anything, because it's a great place to go if there's a purpose. I definitely want to go back to take pictures and see the different seasons, but it's not an entertainment attraction because it doesn't really change. If you're only visiting in town, it might not be worth it. If you live in the area you should definitely go! It's free and always open so there's no reason to not go.