History

The nearby Travois trail was used by Arapaho Indians to pass from the mountains to the plains. The trail can clearly be seen crossing hills within the park.

Later, homesteaders ranched livestock on the grasses surrounding the peak. Ruins of an old mine can be found in a gully on the northwest slope of the peak.

The park was created to sustain the elk and mountain lion habitat in the area. In late summer, ladybugs, which spent the summer in the plains gorging on aphids, make many lower Colorado summits home (11,000 feet and lower) and Centennial Cone is one such summit. Breeding ladybugs will cover summit surfaces so thickly one cannot walk without crunching them.

Jefferson County completed purchasing this exceptionally beautiful and unique area around and including Centennial Cone land purchases from multiple owners by 2001 to create the Open Space we have today. The property encompassed 3,369 acres and was acquired by Jefferson County Open Space through purchases from Peter Goltra, Josephine Hayes, Robert Angel, Gloria Ann McCoy, and Leroy Jacobs. The park opened to the public in 2005.

In 2009, Open Space constructed Mayhem Gulch trailhead for Centennial Cone Park along Clear Creek. The park is one of the largest Open Space Parks in the Jefferson County System.