Denver offers more than 80 miles of off-street multi-use trails within the City. Most of the trails follow Denver’s urban waterways and offer safe and scenic routes through our urban neighborhoods. These off-street trails provide recreational opportunities for walking, running, cycling, and skating. In addition, they serve to supplement to the on-street grid bicycle route system throughout the City.
The city has four regional trails: Cherry Creek, Highline Canal, Sand Creek, and South Platte River. All of these trails offer some amazing outdoor experiences and provide a unique way to explore neighborhoods you would otherwise miss.
Cherry Creek Trail
The Cherry Creek Trail is a 42-mile long paved pathway that travels from Downtown Denver, past Cherry Creek Reservoir, through Parker and ends at Franktown to the east of Castle Rock. The trail is a popular route for Denverites and tourist alike wanting to explore the city. Communities such as Denver, Glendale, Aurora, Greenwood Village, Cottonwood, Parker, The Pinery and Franktown are on the path. A few landmarks you can expect to see while on the trail include the Pepsi Center, Auraria Campus, and Cherry Creek Reservoir Dam just to name a few.
The trail is paved for the entire route so you will often find people enjoying a walk, run, or cycling the trail.
Highline Canal Trail
The High Line Canal Trail is a 60-mile long series of paved and unpaved pathways located in the southeastern portion of the Denver Metro area. The trail has three separate sections and spans from Chatfield State Park near Highlands Ranch to the eastern outskirts of Denver with plans for expansion. The route follows alongside the High Line Canal that meanders through neighborhoods, designated open spaces, local parks, golf courses and commercial districts.
A few of the communities nestled along the path are Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Centennial, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Denver, Aurora.
Sand Creek Trail
The Sand Creek Greenway is a 15-mile long paved and unpaved pathway located on the northeast side of the Denver Metro area. The trail connects to the South Platte River Trail on the north side of Denver, then heads east through Commerce City and Aurora. The east end of the Sand Creek Greenway is located on the east side of Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora.
The Sand Creek Greenway goes through the natural area alongside of Sand Creek as it goes past commercial and industrial areas. The trail also goes past several local parks, golf courses and residential neighborhoods. A few of those communities include Denver, Commerce City and Aurora. The Sand Creek Trail has connections to the paved trails in the Northfield at Stapleton area.
South Platte Trail
The portion of the South Platte River Trail that is located in Denver is a 18-milelong paved pathway that follows the South Platte River through the heart of the Denver Metro area. Another portion of the South Platte River Trail heads to the north from Denver to travel through Adams County. The Mary Carter Greenway Trail heads to the south from Denver to travel through Littleton.
The South Platte River Trail travels through the natural area alongside the river going past several lakes, residential neighborhoods, local parks, golf courses, industrial areas, commercial districts and designated open space. In the Downtown Denver area, the trail goes through Confluence Park, past the Pepsi Center, Auraria Campus, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Elitch Gardens and many other attractions in the area.
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