Hike the stunning Mount Falcon trail and you’ll stumble upon some curious, castle-like ruins: the husk of the Walker family home.
A West Point dropout who served in the Chinese army, publishing magnate John Brisben Walker arrived in Colorado in 1879 with ambitious plans. After having built much of Denver, Walker chose Mount Falcon as the site of a massive family mansion from which to overlook the city.
Unfortunately, the mountaintop chalet suffered a lightning strike and burned down in 1918. This disappointment, combined with the turmoil of WWI, ended Walker’s plans to build a summer White House for the president.