Oxen Draw / Eagle's View / Raven's Roost

Oxen Draw / Eagle's View / Raven's Roost

Reynolds Park is a good example of a transition zone where the foothills meets the montane zone. South-facing dry slopes, typical in the foothill zone, and cool north-faces of Colorado blue spruce and Douglas fir, with the feel of montane elevations, are contained within the park’s 1,200-plus acres. Riparian habitats range from the tiny creek running through Oxen Draw to the cottonwood-flanked stream flowing down Kennedy Gulch that divides the park. All this adds up to a great diversity in wildflowers and habitats. In mid-June on the Oxen Draw/Eagle’s View/Raven’s Roost loop, more than 70 species of wildflowers may be encountered, highlighted by spurless columbine, a variation of the famed Colorado state flower the blue columbine, and, near many of several creek crossings, shooting stars. The Eagle’s View spur trail is well worth the extra effort—the panorama of distant Pikes Peak with wild-flowers in the foreground is inspiring. Excluding the spur, the loop is about two miles long. The trail starts gently and increases in incline before following an old road back to the starting point. Wildflower alert: The unusual spurless columbine and streamside pockets of shooting stars.

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