Interesting History of Parks In or Near Denver – Part II

With more than 40 state parks in Colorado and numerous city parks, there is much to explore on over 500 miles of trails and 4,000 campsites. Denver’s urban park system alone embraces close to 6,000 acres of “traditional” parks, natural areas, and parkways.

Three New Parks

Mayor Michael B. Hancock, along with city officials and community members, just broke ground in March 2015 on three new Denver parks. All expected to be completed by November 2015, they will add 64 acres of park land to the city’s urban park system. The location north of I-70 at the confluence of Sand Creek and Westerly Creek in Stapleton will be enhanced over the next five years to include another 120 acres of parks and open space.

There will be a new pedestrian/bike bridge across Westerly Creek, more than 40 acres of vegetation including over 500 new tree plantings and 1600 new shrubs; over 4,000 linear feet of regional trail along Sand Creek; over 9,000 linear feet of soft surface and concrete park trails, and more.

City Park in Denver

This premier regional park contains the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, two lakes, historical monuments and statuary, tennis courts, fields for football as well as baseball and soccer, two playgrounds, and picnic sites.

The DENVER ZOO on 80 acres was founded in 1896 when an orphaned American black bear was donated and led to the construction of Bear Mountain. This zoo became the first one in the United States to use natural enclosures instead of cages with bars. Next came Primate Panorama with large mesh tents and open areas for monkeys and apes. Later came Predator Ridge with three areas through which animals are rotated. On June 1, 2012, the Toyota Elephant Passage was opened with five areas to rotate various species.

The DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE has IMAX and planetarium shows together with fascinating exhibitions such as Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, Discovery Zone, Egyptian Mummies, North American Indian Cultures, Expedition Health, Wildlife and others.

For more information about parks in the Denver area, please visit our website or contact us.