New in Douglas County: 681 Acres of Trail, a Cantina Mystery in Parker, and Lone Tree Beer Goes Statewide

Edition three, and for once the biggest opening in Douglas County is not a restaurant: it is 681 acres. Also this week: a mystery on Pikes Peak Drive, a pottery studio, Lone Tree beer goes statewide, and honest updates on the Hideaway and the BBQ spot Parker keeps asking about. Verified first, hedged where it is not; the tip line is on the About page.

The big one: Lost Canyon Ranch is open

The Town of Castle Rock's largest-ever open space purchase opened to the public on July 13: 681 acres of hoodoos, canyon cliffs, and ten miles of new trail south of town, with five more miles coming this fall. The Gazette called it a "crown jewel" of the Front Range this week and for once the marketing writes itself. Two rules to know before you go: no dogs, no horses, which is unusual for a Front Range open space and firmly enforced. Summer hours run 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; on this week's forecast, be the 5:30 kind of visitor.

Also open

The Hot Spot Studios, Castle Rock. A paint-your-own-pottery, candle-making, and mosaics studio on Barranca Drive, billing itself as the franchise's first Colorado location. No studio fees, flat project pricing around $30, walk-ins welcome, open till 9 on weekends. File under: birthday parties, date nights, and the 97-degree afternoons this county keeps producing.

The Groove Café, Lone Tree. Open since early June at the Lyric at RidgeGate, and here is the part most people do not know: the pool and gym are residents-only, but the café and bar are open to everyone, coffee by day, full bar by night, with a free Friday Night Live music series from 5 to 8 that has been drawing real crowds. New-neighborhood amenity hubs usually keep the public out. This one did not.

The Griddled backstory. The crêpe-and-panini spot at the Outlets, from our edition-one list, got a News-Press profile this month that upgrades it from "new food option" to "good story": owners Jake and Bri Blaylock came up through the entrepreneurship program run by Steve Craig, the Outlets' owner, which finances graduates into business ownership. Jake ran the mall's chocolate shop for years; now he owns the place next door. The sandwiches are named after Colorado mountain towns and the coffee is from locally owned Brown Boot.

The Pikes Peak Drive mystery

An update on our edition-two item, with a caveat: the temporary banner on the old Wild Goose Saloon building in Parker, which announced JP's Sports Bar in May, now reportedly reads "JP Cocina & Cantina," suggesting the concept has shifted toward a Mexican cantina. The paper trail says "JP Sports Bar LLC," formed June 2; no owner, menu, or date has been announced, and we have not independently confirmed the new signage. Parker's most-watched vacancy stays interesting. We will drive by.

Coming

Link On Demand hits Castle Rock July 31. The county's subsidized on-demand rideshare, already running elsewhere in DougCo, expands into Castle Rock at the end of next week after commissioners approved a $1.9 million contract. If you have a teenager, a fairgrounds trip, or one car in the shop, this is the quiet civic story that actually changes your week.

Dutch Bros, Lone Tree. A 950-square-foot dual-lane drive-thru kiosk is working through city approvals for a pad in the Town Center parking lot near Kohl's. No timeline yet; we will track it.

Still no dates: Cask & Trotter, the BBQ-and-whiskey concept from the Wolf Peach team headed to Parker's Juniper building, was last reported targeting August, but that word is months old and no opening date, hiring push, or menu has appeared. Journeys and Peak Pizza at the Outlets remain "summer" with no date, for the third straight edition.

The Hideaway, still waiting

The downtown Castle Rock bar hit by two arson fires in May remains closed with no rebuild timeline; the owners have said only "closed until we can rebuild." The suspect's case moves through the county court. Fourteen years of Jerry Street history is on pause, and the block feels it. When there is demolition, permits, or a date, you will read it here.

Business note: Lone Tree Brewing, 15 years old and fresh off a World Beer Cup win for its Mexican Lager, switched distributors in June and is now available statewide for the first time. If you see the lager on a shelf in Grand Junction, that is new.

That is edition three. Every week: what opened, what closed, what is coming, verified. See something we missed? Tell us, and we will run it down.