Staunton State Park is relatively new, covering about 4000 acres southwest of Denver and is accessible via US-285. I recently spent 4 days there with JH & DH and besides getting in some hiking, we found ourselves in the middle of a pretty wild story.

We arrived Monday and set up camp, then went out to hike a little bit to start acclimating to the altitude (about 8400′ in the campgrounds). Tuesday morning while eating breakfast we heard quite a few sirens nearby. We couldn’t tell where they were going but I guessed maybe there was a wreck down on US285.

Our hike (to Davis Ponds) would take us by the visitor center. On the way we saw an ambulance leaving, with lights and sirens, followed soon after by a big fire department rescue truck and a couple smaller trucks. It seemed clear that someone had been injured. I guessed it was a climber needing a high-angle rescue. As we passed the visitor center the person at the gate said the park had been closed. Visitors were turned away while several law enforcement vehicles came in and were directed up the park road. We were allowed to continue our hike but the gatekeeper wouldn’t provide details – only warning us that if we ran into law enforcement people to stay away. The plot thickens. Now it seemed like maybe someone injured someone else and was on the run.

A bit later, a helicopter arrived and circled the area for a while. One person in our group got an emergency alert on their phone that said someone had been stabbed and police were searching for the perp. When we got to Davis Ponds we could see cops on the road bordering the park, and many stopped cars – like a checkpoint. We sat around for awhile, speculating about details, then headed back toward the visitor center. When we got there around noon, the parking lot was empty, except for a couple news crews. We were asked to go in the visitor center and stay there while the manhunt was underway. That’s when we heard it was a cop that got stabbed, only later finding out it was actually a park ranger.

We quickly became quite bored, pacing like caged animals, and entertaining ourselves by watching the news crews, now numbering perhaps 6-8, gathered in the parking lot like vultures ready to pounce on any scrap they could get. Law enforcement vehicles came and went all afternoon.

About 5:00 PM a steady stream of law enforcement vehicles began exiting, though we were told the perp had not yet been found. We wondered what that would mean for us as we planned to camp there several more nights. We were eventually told that we would not be allowed to stay the night – it just seemed too risky. We elected to leave our gear at the campsite and get a motel room in Denver then see how things looked in the morning. We were given a ride to the Meadow parking lot near our campsite on the Spruce Loop while a well-armed Colorado Parks & Wildlife ranger went up to search the area and then came back to escort us to our camp to get whatever we would need for the night. There was only one other person camping in the park and he lived nearby in Denver so he had already gone home for the night.

We came back Wednesday AM and the park had reopened though I assume the search continued. We hiked Wednesday and were allowed to camp that night. After more hiking Thursday we returned to camp to see the news that it was thought the park ranger had stabbed himself! and was being charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. Wow, who the hell could have seen that coming!? It turns out the perp was in custody all along and we slept better that night, heading for home Friday AM with a story we might be telling for years.

Okay with that out of the way I can get to details about the park. There are said to be about 37 miles of trail. Most are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. A few are hiker only. The multipurpose trails that I saw were 4-6′ wide and seemed groomed, with a covering of pea-sized granite gravel. That gravel might simply be what is left when finer stuff gets washed out, rather than being purposefully spread. Elevations range about 8200′-9500′ and apparently Pike’s Peak is visible from some high areas.

There are several designated rock climbing areas and an archery range accessed via the trail system.

There are 25 walk-in camp sites across three areas, all accessed from the Meadow parking lot. Reservations are required. The only water source and vault toilet is in the Meadow parking lot. The Spruce Loop has a port-a-potty near site #14. All sites have a 24’x11′ tent pad covered with pea gravel, a picnic table, and a bear box for food storage. The limit is 2 tents and 6 people per site. No camp fires are permitted.

The farthest site in the Ponderosa Loop is about 400 yards from the parking lot. For Spruce Loop it’s 700 yards, and for Aspen Loop it’s 470 yards. Sites 18, 19, and maybe 16 in the Spruce Loop are near the edge of a rocky outcropping with views over some of the park.

Having water only in the parking lot turned out to be not a big deal, as each day’s hike took us in that direction so we could fill water bottles in the moning as we set out and in the afternoon when we returned.

The park has been asembled over many years from property belonging to the Staunton, Davis, Dines, and Chase families so you’ll see those names a lot. Many buildings, some historic, are still visible. The Staunton homestead and several affiliated buildings are visible along the Historic Cabin trail.

The park is bordered in many areas by housing developments but to the north is Pike National Forest. It’s possible to hike/backpack from the state park along the North Elk Creek trail up into the NF and eventually into the Mount Evans Wilderness. To the southwest farther along US285 are trailheads that access the Lost Creek Wilderness to the south. If you’re from a low area like me Staunton SP could be a great place to spend a day or two acclimating before a trip into higher elevations.