Directions:

From Denver, head south on I-25 and exit on Santa Fe Drive.  Continue south on Santa Fe, and bear right onto S. Platte River Drive.  Turn right (west) onto Florida Ave and head up the hill following signs for Ruby Hill Parking.

Hike Description:

Ruby Hill Park is an amazing piece of the Denver Parks & Recreation system.  The park has just about everything you could want in an urban park; playgrounds, ballfields, bike terrain park, free concert venue, and of course, a hiking trail along the park’s perimeter. Also unique, is the fact that Ruby Hill is actually, a decent sized hill, in fact there used to be a ski area at Ruby Hill. This 150 or so feet of elevation change means that at the top of the park, you get some pretty nice views of the Denver area. 

The main parking area is at the park’s summit so start your hike there.  The trail crosses the open fields, with great views, and pops down the hill to a quieter more forested section of park before gaining back the 150 ft or so of elevation and returning to the summit area. There is not much to the trail, generally easy to follow and gives you a good tour of the park.  This is not the most epic hike ever, but Ruby Hill is worth a visit if you are in the Denver area. 

Also, don’t sleep on the free concerts at Levitt Pavillion during the summer, they get some great bands and good food trucks, awesome evenings for the whole family…ok, free advertising over…