Dakan Road

Dakan Road is a dirt and sandstone four-wheel drive road that sees heavy use. It connects Perry Park Road near Castle Rock to Rampart Range Road. It does have a connector road that is a fun offshoot – that road is the top half of Jackson Creek Road and will also intersect with Rampart Range Road, across from the beginning of Long Hollow Road. It has many whoop-de-doos, and these are a whole lot more pleasant if you run this trail uphill, from the east to the west though it can be fun gaining some speed on the way down. Just make sure everything is tied down. Some spots can get pretty washed out, and some sections have deep but passable ruts, but this trail is in good condition most of the time. Traffic will be encountered in either direction so keep your eyes open. The trail is 13.3 miles long from pavement to the top of Rampart Range Road. Depending on how fast you drive, it takes at least an hour but allow an hour and a half to enjoy the sights. If you want to do it as a loop, run it from the bottom to the top, and then make a right turn (north) at Rampart Range Road, make a right at Jackson Creek, and run that FS 502/503 back to the intersection near the rock obstacle. There is only one real obstacle on the trail called the Rock. The condition of this section has been vastly improved but can suffer from use. There are rocks that people drive on around the obstacle. It has a tremendous view. Just after this obstacle, there is a turn uphill at a Y. Make sure you continue uphill and stay on FS 563. If you went straight, it turns into FS 503 and is clearly marked, which is the top half of Jackson Creek and will also intersect with Rampart Range Road, a few miles north of the beginning of Long Hollow Road. This trail can be a bit crowded, so be on the lookout for traffic from dirt bikes, ATVs, and other vehicles. There are seasonal closures from December 1st to May 1st of each year.