Denver Mountain Parks
Encyclopedia
The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than 14,000 acres (55 km²) of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson
, Clear Creek
, Douglas
,and Grand
counties in Colorado
, west and south of Denver
.
Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denver
, this historic system was launched in 1910 and required Congressional approval (in 1914) for the city to purchase federal lands outside its municipal limits. The mountain parks system was created “for the purpose of assuring perpetually to the residents of Denver the sublime scenery of the Rockies, the preservation of native forests and having for all time a pleasure ground in the mountains for the thousands of annual visitors to the city easily accessible.”
The Denver Mountain Parks system currently consists of 22 developed parks and other undeveloped parklands that serve as open space, scenic viewsheds, and wildlife habitat. It ranges in elevation from 5,800 to 13,000 ft above sea level. Many of the parks have picnic areas and some have trails. J.J.B. Benedict designed many of the pavilions and shelters in these parks, using native stone and timber to create a “mountain architecture” style that blends into the natural sites. Two shelters, one in Genesee Park
and one in Dedisse Park
, were built in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps
.
The Denver Mountain Park properties encompass a variety of habitats, including prairie, mountain meadow, riparian forests, montane (ponderosa pine
, Douglas-fir
) and subalpine (Engelmann spruce
) forests, and alpine tundra
. Bison herds were established in wildlife preserves at Genesee Park
in 1914 and later in Daniels Park as part of an effort to recover this species extirpated from Colorado.
and Denver’s Mayor Robert W. Speer
. Walker approached the Denver Real Estate Exchange, the Denver Chamber of Commerce, and the Denver Motor Club, and each of these appointed a committee to evaluate the idea. Later these were formed into a "Joint Committee of the Commercial Bodies." A city election in May 1912 gave voter approval to a mill levy to support the project.
In 1912, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
was hired to plan the park system. Olmsted identified 41,310 acres (167 km²) of land that Denver should acquire for parks, mountain roads, and to protect scenic vistas. Acquisition of Genesee Park began in 1912; it was the first park established and, at 2,413 acres (9.7 km²), is still the largest. The last new parks were Red Rocks Park
, purchased in 1927-28; O'Fallon Park and Newton Park, donated in 1939; and Winter Park, purchased in 1939. Daniels Park was also expanded at that time.
The Denver Mountain Parks were designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and 1995 as a result of a multiple-property submission that included fourteen parks. Two of the highways originally built by Denver in 1912-1914, the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive and the Lariat Trail Scenic Mountain Drive, were also included in that designation. These drives today are part of the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway
.
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
, Clear Creek
Clear Creek County, Colorado
Clear Creek County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 9,322 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Georgetown...
, Douglas
Douglas County, Colorado
Douglas County is the eighth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado, in the United States. The county is located midway between Colorado's two largest cities: Denver and Colorado Springs...
,and Grand
Grand County, Colorado
Grand County is the 21st largest of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 12,442 at U.S. Census 2000...
counties in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, west and south of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, this historic system was launched in 1910 and required Congressional approval (in 1914) for the city to purchase federal lands outside its municipal limits. The mountain parks system was created “for the purpose of assuring perpetually to the residents of Denver the sublime scenery of the Rockies, the preservation of native forests and having for all time a pleasure ground in the mountains for the thousands of annual visitors to the city easily accessible.”
The Denver Mountain Parks system currently consists of 22 developed parks and other undeveloped parklands that serve as open space, scenic viewsheds, and wildlife habitat. It ranges in elevation from 5,800 to 13,000 ft above sea level. Many of the parks have picnic areas and some have trails. J.J.B. Benedict designed many of the pavilions and shelters in these parks, using native stone and timber to create a “mountain architecture” style that blends into the natural sites. Two shelters, one in Genesee Park
Genesee Park
The land for Genesee Park was initially purchased in 1912 and the park area was largely complete by 1926. It is the largest park in the Denver Mountain Parks system with a total of . Interstate 70 in Colorado traverses the park between exits 252 and 254 along the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway...
and one in Dedisse Park
Dedisse Park
Dedisse Park is a Denver Mountain Park located in Jefferson County, Colorado, USA. It was originally the scenic mountain ranch of 1860s pioneer Julius C. Dedisse; this of land was purchased by the City & County of Denver in 1919...
, were built in the late 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
.
The Denver Mountain Park properties encompass a variety of habitats, including prairie, mountain meadow, riparian forests, montane (ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
) and subalpine (Engelmann spruce
Engelmann Spruce
Picea engelmannii is a species of spruce native to western North America, from central British Columbia and southwest Alberta, southwest to northern California and southeast to Arizona and New Mexico; there are also two isolated populations in northern Mexico...
) forests, and alpine tundra
Alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
. Bison herds were established in wildlife preserves at Genesee Park
Genesee Park
The land for Genesee Park was initially purchased in 1912 and the park area was largely complete by 1926. It is the largest park in the Denver Mountain Parks system with a total of . Interstate 70 in Colorado traverses the park between exits 252 and 254 along the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway...
in 1914 and later in Daniels Park as part of an effort to recover this species extirpated from Colorado.
History
Beginning in about 1909-10, the idea of a mountain park in the foothills west of Denver was promoted by John Brisben WalkerJohn Brisben Walker
John Brisben Walker was a United States magazine publisher and automobile entrepreneur, in later years a resident of Jefferson County, Colorado.-Biography:...
and Denver’s Mayor Robert W. Speer
Robert W. Speer
Robert Walter Speer was elected the mayor of Denver, Colorado three times. He served two four-year terms in office from 1904 to 1912. He died from pneumonia in 1918 while halfway through a third term in office that had started in 1916.-Biography:...
. Walker approached the Denver Real Estate Exchange, the Denver Chamber of Commerce, and the Denver Motor Club, and each of these appointed a committee to evaluate the idea. Later these were formed into a "Joint Committee of the Commercial Bodies." A city election in May 1912 gave voter approval to a mill levy to support the project.
In 1912, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. was an American landscape architect best known for his wildlife conservation efforts. He had a lifetime commitment to national parks, and worked on projects in Acadia, the Everglades and Yosemite National Park. Olmsted Point in Yosemite and Olmsted Island at Great Falls...
was hired to plan the park system. Olmsted identified 41,310 acres (167 km²) of land that Denver should acquire for parks, mountain roads, and to protect scenic vistas. Acquisition of Genesee Park began in 1912; it was the first park established and, at 2,413 acres (9.7 km²), is still the largest. The last new parks were Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks Park is a mountain park in Jefferson County, Colorado, owned and maintained by the city of Denver as part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The park is known for its very large red sandstone outcrops. Many of these rock formations within the park have names, from the mushroom-shaped...
, purchased in 1927-28; O'Fallon Park and Newton Park, donated in 1939; and Winter Park, purchased in 1939. Daniels Park was also expanded at that time.
The Denver Mountain Parks were designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and 1995 as a result of a multiple-property submission that included fourteen parks. Two of the highways originally built by Denver in 1912-1914, the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive and the Lariat Trail Scenic Mountain Drive, were also included in that designation. These drives today are part of the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway
Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway
The Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway is a route in the foothills between Golden, Morrison, and Evergreen about west of Denver, Colorado. The byway includes portions of State Highway 93 between Golden and Morrison, State Highway 74 from Morrison to Evergreen via Bear Creek Canyon, and the same...
.
List of Mountain Parks
Properties owned by the City & County of Denver as Mountain Parks vary in degree of development and use. Some familiar parks are well known and regularly visited (Red Rocks Park, Echo Lake, for example); others are remote or small parcels that receive less use (Pence Park, Turkey Creek Park). Most parks have picnic areas and restrooms, but in some cases in this list, "developed" may refer only to accessibility, e.g., Bear Creek Canyon and Deer Creek Canyon. A few park names are duplicated in Jefferson County Open Space parks.| Traditional Developed Parks | Conservation/wilderness Areas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developed parklands that are central to the system include well known and more modest examples established to provide mountain recreation to City residents. These parks have been used by Denver residents since the 1910s. Today they are equally used by nearby residents, Denver residents, and visitors to or residents of the entire metropolitan area. |
|
Lookout Mountain Park Lookout Mountain Park is a Denver Mountain Park located around west of downtown Denver overlooking Golden, Colorado. It consists of of evergreen wilderness atop Lookout Mountain, named for its being a favored lookout point of the native Ute Indian tribe... Red Rocks Park Red Rocks Park is a mountain park in Jefferson County, Colorado, owned and maintained by the city of Denver as part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The park is known for its very large red sandstone outcrops. Many of these rock formations within the park have names, from the mushroom-shaped... (includes Morrison Park) Summit Lake Park Summit Lake Park is a park located along Mount Evans Scenic Byway about 38 miles west of Denver, Colorado. The park is 160 acres in size and contains alpine tundra. Land to the east of the lake is in a state of permafrost which helps to prevent drainage of the area... |
Considerable acreage in the Denver Mountain Parks is devoted to parcels that "were intended never to be developed." Some (marked with asterisks) are adjacent to Jefferson County Open Space parks and may have trail access as a result of cooperative efforts. Many are surrounded by private property and have no public access. These conservation tracts include: |
|
|
General Sources
- 1918. No author. What the City has done in Five Years to Bring Wilderness Charm to the Masses. Municipal Facts (monthly). Vol. 1 No. 1. (and numerous other articles published in Municipal Facts 1912-1928)
- 1995. Denver Mountain Park System, multiple property submission to National Register of Historic Places.
- 2004. Noel, Thomas J. Sacred Stones: Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. ISBN 0972953000 City & County of Denver, Division of Theatres & Arenas
- 2008. Denver Mountain Parks Master Plan. Denver Parks & Recreation Department. 156 pp, plus appendices.