Mueller State Park spreads across more than 5,100 acres of aspen groves, spring-fed meadows and pink Pikes Peak granite on the west side of America’s Mountain, just south of Divide. With 44 miles of trails, 138 campsites and big views of Pikes Peak, it’s one of the best places in the state to hike, camp and watch for elk, especially when the aspens turn gold.

Long before it was a park, this high country was a hunting ground for the Ute people. Settlers, ranchers and farmers moved in during the 1860s, and the Pikes Peak and Cripple Creek gold rushes brought prospectors through the hills. The land was logged for nearby towns and grazed by cattle, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife notes it saw its share of bootlegging and horse thievery too. In the 1950s, W.E. Mueller began buying up local ranches to create Mueller Ranch, and in the 1980s the family made it a game preserve. The Nature Conservancy and the state later bought the property, and today it’s a 5,117-acre state park where elk, black bears, eagles and hawks roam and 158 bird species have been recorded.

The trails are the main draw. The park’s 44.3 miles of paths wind through mixed conifer and aspen forest, across open grassland and past granite outcrops shaped by the uplift of Pikes Peak. A popular moderate loop links the Rock Pond, Rock Canyon and Outlook Ridge trails for pond and mountain views, while the long trek to Dome Rock, a huge granite dome rising above Fourmile Creek, makes a full day. Stop first at the Visitor Center, 1.5 miles past the entrance on Wapiti Road, for maps, exhibits and advice on where the wildlife has been spotted. In winter, the same trails are great for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Campers can choose from 138 sites, and the park sits about 25 miles west of Colorado Springs via U.S. 24 and Highway 67.

Check the Mueller State Park page for alerts and events. Rangers lead a Story of Pikes Peak hike on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon, a Fall Sensory Hike the same day from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (registration required), and a two-mile Guided Nature Hike on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. A Stage 1 fire ban is in effect: campfires are allowed only in designated fire rings, and charcoal grills are allowed.