South Valley Park
We’ve really enjoyed going to South Valley Park the couple times we’ve been there so far. It is set in the gorgeous Ken Caryl valley. It is an incredibly scenic park with views of the foothills, craggy cliffsides, and dramatic red outcroppings.
It is so pretty I think we’ll find ourselves going back there again. There are still other trails to explore as well. We take Maggie along with us to get her some exercise and practice good leash behavior. The first time we didn’t get all that far because she was just a terror on the leash. But that was before we started taking her to a trainer and getting some good methods for working with her. She was better by leaps and bounds this last time and we did a several mile loop. I think we’ll make a hiking buddy out of her yet.
She struggles the most remaining calm when we pass by other hikers, especially if they have a dog along. I think she’s getting better, but reigning in excitement is obviously very challenging for this puppy. This past time we came across another couple with their dog and we ended up letting them play together for a bit and chatting. We were a bit cautious about how Maggie would behave at first, but it was good for her. All in all a good experience.
This park is close enough and interesting enough it will probably be a good go-to place to take people to when they come visit.