I recently visited my favorite little loop of a trail in Colorado, the Castle Rock mini incline. If you want a fun and challenging workout, check out the Challenge Hill in Castle Rock, CO. Also know as the Mini Incline, this is a great workout that starts with 200 steps going up the trail followed by a nice half mile recovery downhill the leads back to the bottom of the stairs.
Nowhere near as daunting and definitely not to be confused with the Incline in Manitou Springs, the Challenge Staircase is located just south of Denver in Philip S. Miller Park where there’s plenty of parking and other amenities to keep you busy.
The great thing about this trail is that you can gear it toward any fitness level. One loop is 0.6 miles, so you can do it as many times as you want in order to create a workout as long or as short as you’d like.
If you’re the type of athlete that likes to counts steps while you’re running or strokes while you’re swimming, you’ll love this trail. Every ten steps are numbered. And counting the steps is a nice distraction when you’re breathing hard.
Once your complete the 200 steps, your rewarded with great views at the top and a chance to rest on the Adirondack chairs.
But why rest when you can do some pushups followed by a downhill recovery?
For a full body workout, you can do pushups or dips each time you reach the top and bottom of the staircase.
Once you start to head back down, the first 100 feet of the trail are rocky, but it smooths out after that.
Overall, this is a fun little trail. It’s a great way to get in a short and tough workout that can be adjusted to different fitness levels. So next time you’re in the Denver area, check it out!
Looking to improve on hills or trails?
Check out our Coaching Options!
Share the love! - - >
'Shinsplints' McDougall
When I go, I usually do around 100 loops or so; of course, I’m pretty awesome.
Coach Joan
That does sound pretty awesome 🙂