If you’re looking for a hike in the forest close to the Denver metro area, the Beaver Brook and Chavez loop is a good choice.

The lollipop loop starts just a mile off Interstate 70 in the foothills near Genesee at the Beaver Brook Trailhead. The newer parking lot has picnic tables, bathrooms, and trash cans. It’s also just a short walk to a bison overlook to search for Denver's bison herd that lives in the area.

The Beaver Brook Trail — which is the "stick of the lollipop," if you will, meaning you use it to both leave and return to that parking lot — starts in the trees and you’ll quickly notice you are heading down in elevation. The trail drops about 100 feet over about half a mile, meaning you’ll have an uphill hike on the way out.

Just 0.4 miles down the trail, you will come to the

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