Are those private houses backing to Castlewood Canyon State Park? (Parker: cul-de-sac, pine)

[EscapeCalifornia]

I was playing around with Microsoft's Virtual Earth the other day and found what look like houses between CO-83 and the park, off E. Rim Rd. Are they really private homes? Those driveways look a quarter mile long! I'd sure hate to clear those in the winter.

[vegaspilgrim]

The answer to your question is yes. I've hiked both ends of that park many times. In addition to the CO-86 entrance and the main entrance south of Franktown, there's a dirt road that goes through the park out the southwest end (which you're not "supposed" to drive through) which connects into those rural/semi rural areas you're talking about. From what I can tell those houses there are old, rural properties that look like they have been there for many years.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Thanks!

[vegaspilgrim]

Now wait a second here-- what I just said is true, but I realized you weren't talking about the SW part of the park, you were talking about Rim Rd which is northeast of the park. I know the landscape of that area, there's another creek/canyon just east of Castlewood Canyon S.P. surrounded by pine trees there that feeds into the Cherry Creek, crossing over Parker Rd. I can't recall off the top of my head what those homes actually look like. I loaded up it up for myself on mapquest Aerial view, I see what you're talking about. I'm curious why you find this to be special; it looks like a typical semi-rural exurban pattern development in the Black Forest area, where you have one long dead end road with a bunch of other long cul-de-sacs leading off from that:

The Exurbs: Elbert & eastern Douglas counties photo tour