Nestled in the hills above Golden, Apex Park offers an easily- accessible retreat for metro area trail runners and mountain bikers. The park includes approximately 10 miles of trails over hilly terrain and rocky single track. The city of Golden reports that wildlife in the area can include elk, deer, black bear, coyote, fox, rattlesnake, and raptors. The 770-acre park also holds historical significance for Jefferson County.

The Apex Trail follows Apex Gulch, where a stream flows for most of the year. Apex Gulch was the route of an early toll road, which took fortune seekers to the gold fields of Central City. The path was called the "Apex and Gregory Wagon Road." It cost 60 cents to pass if you had a wagon with a pair of horses. Mules, horses, and cattle driven loose cost five cents each and sheep cost a penny a head. The toll road operated profitably during the 1860's and 70's, but then floods destroyed part of the road and the cost was too great to repair it. Other access routes to Central City were at Mt. Vernon Canyon and Golden Gate Canyon. Mt. Vernon Canyon ultimately became the preferred route for travelers; it is now known as I-70.

The lower end of the Apex and Gregory Wagon Road was known as Apex City, a rough and tumble town in the mid-1800's. The Heritage Square Shopping Center now sits at the original site of the former frontier settlement. In Apex City, tolls were collected from miners and suppliers who were traveling to the gold fields. It was also an area where travelers and horses could rest before beginning the demanding uphill climb. The townspeople sometimes took the law into their own hands, instead of allowing crooks to be tried in the Denver courts. Legend says that a horse thief was lynched on a cottonwood tree leading into the gulch.

The town was built on an ancient Indian campground. The location was popular because it offered protection from enemies, with lookout sites onto the plains from upper portions of the Apex Trail and from sites on the Hogback. The location also allowed the Indians easy access to food; they could climb into the mountains to hunt deer and elk or hunt on the plains for buffalo.

For a challenging trail run, take Apex Trail from the trailhead at the Heritage Square parking lot into Apex Gulch. Turn right at the first fork in the trail onto the Pick N' Sledge Trail. Follow the trail for 0.9 miles until it meets the Grubstake Loop. Take a right onto Grubstake. Follow it as it twists around the mountain. You will come to a scenic vista where you will enjoy beautiful views of metro Denver, Green Mountain, and North and South Table Mountain. As you continue on the trail, you will eventually start going south again. When you come to the intersection of the Sluicebox Trail and the Pick N' Sledge Trail, you can end your run by following the Pick N' Sledge Trail back down the mountain. This will give you a total run of 5.6 miles. If you want to continue, turn right onto the Sluicebox Trail. Turn right on the Apex Trail to travel back up the gulch. Once you summit the trail, travel back down, veering right onto the Enchanted Forest Trail. Descend Enchanted Forest, then follow the Apex Trail to continue your descent to the parking lot. This route measures 8.4 miles. Elevations on the park trails range between 6,000 feet and 7,200 feet.

To get to Apex Park, travel west on I-70 from Denver. Exit Morrison Road and turn right. Make a left turn into the Heritage Square Shopping Center. Drive across the lower parking lot to the northern edge where you will see a Jefferson County Open Space sign. There is a box with paper trail maps that you can take with you on your run. You can also download an entire park map at www. co.jefferson.co.us/jeffco/openspace_uploads/apxmp.pdf. There isn't a fee to use the park. Dogs are permitted. There is also a portable toilet at the trailhead. Because the trail is close to the city, it can sometimes be congested on nights and weekends.