Denver Mountain Parks
Get kids outdoors at Denver’s nearby mountain parks
When Congress passed an act in 1914 that allowed Denver to acquire land beyond the city limits for the purpose of securing nearby beauty, it was 14,000 acres at the outset, an area nearly the size of Manhattan. So it’s perhaps appropriate that Mile High officials hired Frederick Law Olmsted, the celebrated designer of New York City’s Central Park, to plan the mountain park system with teams of engineers and construction crews that linked the parks. Here are a few of the special places along the Front Range that are a legacy of that vision. Whether you just want to ponder a vista or shoulder a rucksack for a ramble, you’ll be happier in head and heart. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre Nature created this gorgeous amphitheater — the Civilian Conservation Corps merely put i...
How the blind led the blonde on the Braille Trail (and a guide to Denver’s Mountain Parks)
Snow in May?!! Let’s face it: very few people welcomed our winter blast last week with the exception of a few hearty souls like me. I am admittedly dysfunctional in that when it snows, all I want to do is ski, hike or run in it. Either that or I’m just Canadian. After I bundled up my kids and sent them to school, I headed to the hills on Wednesday. Destination: The Braille Trail. Located in Genesse, this hike is a small cut of paradise in Denver’s largest mountain park. My kids and I have hiked most of the trails along Denver’s front range with the exception of this one. I figured the 1-mile loop through a wooded grove would be perfect for a snowy day. The Braille Trail’s access is off the Chief Hosa Exit 153 on I-70. My directions then told me to turn right o...
