Thirty miles north of home is a new 2,038 acre open space–Sandstone Ranch. Douglas County, the county north of my home county of El Paso, opened Sandstone Ranch to the public in September 2020. They are proud to have secured this acreage for the public to enjoy for generations. This open space has a 3.5-mile common border with Pike National Forest, historic ranch buildings from the original owners in the 1870s, and great plans to make both available to visitors in the future.
Currently, though, Sandstone Ranch has 12 miles of trails with overlooks of the old Ranch and various red rock formations. Today we will explore 3.6 miles of the Juniper Valley Loop Trail. With all the rain we’ve had this year–and are still getting–the flowers and plants should be amazing. This is my first visit here, so join me on this new adventure in beautiful Sandstone Ranch Open Space!