Sand Creek Greenway

Construction and Improvement Updates

Construction is necessary for improving the trail, but don’t let it stop you from using the Sand Creek Greenway today!

From west to east, the trail starts in Commerce City, continues through Denver, and concludes in Aurora.These directions by city will notify you of closures, detours, and snow removal so you can better enjoy your wilderness in the city. (Click here for a printer-friendly version.)

Updated January 2007

Commerce City

Closures: None.

Directions:

PARK (your car, if you need to) at 60th and York.

RIDE north on the South Platte Greenway until you see the bike/pedestrian bridge over the South Platte River at the Sand Creek confluence (just before the South Platte Greenway goes under I-270).

TURN east on the Sand Creek Regional Greenway (on bridge over South Platte River). You will see “Trail Closed” signs – see note below.

FOLLOW THE TRAIL as it goes along the south side of I-270, then turns right at the Burlington ditch. Keep following the trail as it goes left over the Burlington Ditch – and then you have smooth sailing until …

.CONTINUING to the east, stop and enjoy the cool 5-acre Pepper Riparian Area just west of the Colorado Blvd bridge. Look for the beaver den.

The TRAILHEAD at Dahlia and 56th is open and a great place to park your car.

ON THE TRAIL continue to head east along the trail to the Commerce City Wetland Park. In the early morning and late afternoon, egrets, herons, ducks, foxes, muskrats, and many other natural friends can be seen.

After you CROSS THE BRIDGE to the south side of the creek, at the Wetland Park, look for the new restroom building to your right. If you follow the unpaved trail around the wetland areas, you will come to a new paved parking lot at the end of 52nd Avenue. If you go to your left at the bridge is the newest section of off-road trail and it is beautiful! Enjoy this last mile of paved trail all the way to 47th Avenue Drive at the Denver city line.

Denver

Closures: Detour available to avoid some construction (see directions below).

Snow Removal: The trail in Denver is not paved, and therefore it is not plowed after snowstorms. As the regular riders know, the recent storms have caused several temporary closures and detours. For example, the security staff was not able to open the gates along Smith Road for several days after the big windstorm that followed the big snowstorm. Please report any problems to us as soon as possible, so we may try to solve them.

Directions:

The GOOD NEWS is that in the spring of 2006 we opened an off-road bike/ped link to the new Northfield shopping area along Quebec Street. The bridge over Sand Creek (linking the Sand Creek Greenway trail with the new bike/ped overpass) at Quebec provides another major north/south access to the Greenway.

It is then SMOOTH SAILING from Quebec to Smith Road.

There is a TRAILHEAD on east Smith Road (to reach it by car, turn onto Smith Road from Havana).

Our next DETOUR is to avoid the construction on the south side of Sand Creek – where they are building many homes. Just follow the new trail straight up the hill to the east, just to the north of the old bridge crossing Sand Creek. You will see construction and closed trail signs on the south (your right). This is the new off-road detour opened in April 2005. We also want to thank Mortenson, Forest City Stapleton, Stapleton Development Corporation, the Urban Farm, and others who have worked hard to open this wonderful detour for the Sand Creek Greenway trail.

FOLLOW THE NEW TRAIL east, past the Urban Farm on the north, down to the creek and up the hill to Havana. Go on the sidewalk over the Sand Creek bridge on Havana and look for the detour signs on your right. Follow the trail off to the right, down under the bridge and up on the other side of Havana. Follow the trail that goes along the road (with Bluff Lake Nature Center on your left) all the way to 26th and Peoria.

BE CAREFUL - New and improved roads are being built along Havana and Martin Luther King Blvd. The Sand Creek Trail is open (on the east and north side of Havana), but please be careful because of the continuing road construction. Once you pass the entrance to Bluff Lake, it is smooth sailing to the underpass under Peoria and entrance into the beautiful Sand Creek Park.

Aurora

Closures: None.

Snow Removal: All this moisture is helping the ponds and plantings at Sand Creek Park – so we can look forward to a beautiful park this spring. A few sections of the trail in Aurora are plowed (such as the sidewalks along East 28th Avenue), but most sections are not paved and therefore not plowed.

Directions:

SMOOTH RIDING - The trail is open and beautiful from the underpass at Peoria in Sand Creek Park past Airport Blvd. Stay on the trail through the northern section of Sand Creek Park. Go under I-225 and continue past Sable and Chambers. Enjoy the beautiful section from Chambers to Star K Ranch – especially this time of year with all the snow.

Soon you will enter the 200-acre STAR K RANCH with the trailhead and beautiful Morrison Nature Center to the left. Look for the trails heading north (left) off the greenway trail and follow them to the parking lot and nature center (about ½ mile).

OR continue through Star K Ranch to Airport Blvd and go south (right) on the sidewalk/road of Airport Blvd. to where the High Line Canal Trail crosses Airport Blvd. (about 1 mile).

OR continue on the Sand Creek trail until it ends near Colfax Avenue.