Thirty miles west of Colorado Springs is huge Mueller State Park. A hundred miles of trails weave through the rolling hills and forest of Pikes Peak's western foothills. Add in plenty of creeks and ponds, and you'll find several days of scenic hiking and biking, with plenty of camping for those who can't get enough.

Head thirty miles west to Divide village and turn south on Route 67. After four miles, the Mueller entrance is on the right. Drive in a mile to the visitor center for some of the park's best views and more maps and information.

The road north from the visitor center is the developed camping area. The roomy sites follow the high ridge of the park's northern half, providing a nice setting and good views. It's also easy access to all of the park's northern trails. However, this popular campground is nearly always full from May to October.

Scattered throughout the park are a dozen creeks and nearly fifty ponds and springs. The park's trails tend to follow the creeks, with ponds being the apparent destination. The trails are all hilly but not extreem and are quite rideable by any healthy rider. The fifty or so trails allow different combinations of hikers, bikers and horses. The trails are marked but you'll need a good map if you want to bike this maze without getting in trouble.

The northern half of the park is a dense network of trails through rolling hills and forest. The southern half is only a few trails through steep canyons and big hills. The Dome Rock Trail is the main southern route, following Fourmile Canyon to the base of Dome Rock. This spectacular trail is described in its own report.

Note - As of August 13, 2000, the Dome Rock Wildlife area, which is the whole southern half of the park, has been closed to bikes. This closes the Dome Rock and Cabin Creek Trails to bikes. There are rumors that the State Park has pulled their trail signs out of the Wildlife Area (leaving the trails unmarked) and has removed the Wildlife Area from the Park map, making it especially difficult to cross from one area to the other.