Entry No. 33 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: outdoor
Castlewood Canyon Dam Ruins
The crumbling concrete shell of the 1890 Castlewood Dam still stands in two massive broken halves, the gap between them marking the exact point where a 15-foot wall of water tore loose at 1 a.m. on August 3, 1933, and roared 40 miles down Cherry Creek to flood downtown Denver. You can walk right through that breach on established trails while the canyon walls and stunted pines make it feel genuinely remote and eerie.
The move: Hike the Castlewood Canyon Ruins Loop (roughly 2 miles) at dusk — pick your way through the broken dam gap, scramble up to the top of the standing east abutment for a panoramic view of the canyon, then find a quiet ledge along Cherry Creek below the ruins to sit with a thermos and watch the light fade over the same streambed that carried the flood.
📍 Before you go The ruins sit inside Castlewood Canyon State Park, so you'll need a Colorado state-parks pass or pay the day-use fee at the entrance. The Hwy 83 address is the main (east) entrance, where you'll find the visitor center and the Canyon Point lot; from there it's an easy hike-in of roughly two miles down the Inner Canyon / Lake Gulch loop to the dam — there's no parking at the ruins themselves. (A west entrance off Hwy 86 reaches the dam too.) The park is day-use only, open sunrise to sunset, so a dusk visit means timing it tight and being back out as the light goes. Spring through fall is easiest; canyon trails get snowy and icy in winter — check ahead. Picnic areas near the main entrance make an easy pairing.
- 📍 Franktown
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 2989 S State Hwy 83, Franktown, CO 80116
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: cpw.state.co.us · coloradoencyclopedia.org · Tripadvisor
last checked: 2026-06-07