Explore the best rated trails in Denver, CO. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Sheep Draw Trail and Loveland Recreation Trail. With more than 83 trails covering 617 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Elmer's Two Mile Creek Greenway begins just north of Elmer's Two Mile Park on the north end of Boulder. It's paved and generally flat, traveling through open spaces, parks, neighborhoods and...
The Firestone Trail mostly parallels Colorado Boulevard between Dacono in the south and north of Firestone, at the northern end of the trail. The trail is paved and provides access to parks,...
The Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail opened its first 7-mile section in 2016, but is one day planned to stretch 25 miles across the northern Denver Metro area, including the suburbs of Westminster,...
The Cherry Creek Spillway Trail offers wide open views with the Denver skyline as a distant backdrop. Along the way, recreational opportunities abound as the path winds through Aurora's Wheel Park and...
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0.8 miles of trail isn't much on its own, but as part of a connective tissue of little trails linking major regional regional trails, the Turnpike Trail plays an important role. On the west side, it...
The Cherry Creek Regional Trail is a picturesque 40-mile route that begins in downtown Denver and connects suburban and rural Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, including the communities of Parker,...
The Van Bibber Creek, Park and Trail all owe their name to Isaac van Bibber, an early settler to the area. The trail begins on Oak Street and heads west in the swathe cut by the creek through the...
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Gaining only 200+ feet in elevation, the Narrow Gauge Trail is in Pine Valley Ranch Park, a beautiful open space near the mountain community of Pine, Colorado. The trail follows the north bank of the...
Closely following its scenic namesake waterway for most of its journey, the popular Boulder Creek Path runs east from Boulder Canyon to the outskirts of the Valmont Reservoir. Its western end is dirt...
The Spring Gulch #1 Greenway is a multiuse pathway in Longmont, Colorado. The trail stretches the length of the 16-acre Kensington Neighborhood Park, extending from 3rd Avenue north to a point not far...
The East Plum Creek Trail begins in a field across the street from the Native Legend Open Space. It goes through an underpass under Meadows Blvd near Castle Rock Middle School. The next few miles of...
The Little Dry Creek Trail provides a paved, relatively flat pathway for bikers, walkers and skaters through areas of Westminster and northern Arvada. The tree-lined route follows its namesake, Little...
The Willow Creek Greenbelt Trail is a six mile, paved and soft-surface trail that runs along a creekbed in the suburban area around Centennial. The trail begins in the north outside the Holly Park...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the Coal Creek Regional Trail offers spectacular views of the front range. You can even identify surrounding peaks with the "peak finder" signage provided at the...
The Scott Lancaster Memorial Bike Path is a short, but pleasant 5 miles of mostly off-road route that allows cyclists and walkers to get between Idaho Springs and Floyd Hill, which is otherwise only...
The Niver Canal Trail parallels the Coronado Parkway for nearly 2 miles across Thornton, a northern suburb of Denver. About mid-way, the trail passes Rotella Park, which offers restrooms, picnic...
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Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
The Long View Trail is a north-south trail connecting Loveland to Fort Collins. The trail is a ribbon of pavement winding across Larimer County’s scenic outdoors. In fact, as it parallels 57th Street,...
The Wonderland Creek Greenway stretches just over a mile along its namesake waterway on the north end of Boulder. The trail begins at Norwood Avenue near Centennial Middle School and meanders...
The Cherry Creek Regional Trail is a picturesque 40-mile route that begins in downtown Denver and connects suburban and rural Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, including the communities of Parker,...
Weir Gulch cuts a narrow, jagged path through the landscape of west Denver down to the Lakewood border. A greenway path imitates the course of the stream, winding from the edge of the Platte River...
At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the Coal Creek Regional Trail offers spectacular views of the front range. You can even identify surrounding peaks with the "peak finder" signage provided at the...
The St. Vrain Greenway begins in Golden Ponds Park and travels east along the creek for more than half its distance. At the park, watch for the bald eagles, wood ducks, great blue herons and Canada...
The Farmers’ High Line Canal Trail provides an easy, pleasant way to traverse the northern suburbs of Denver. The paved pathway stretches more than a dozen miles, connecting Westminster, Northglenn,...
The Happy Canyon Trail runs for just over 4 miles through the communities of Centennial, Cottonwood and Parker on the southern outskirts of Denver. To the north, the trail begins at in the Cherry...
The New Santa Fe Regional Trail provides a scenic journey along the front range of the mountains, from Palmer Lake Recreation Area in northern El Paso County through the U.S. Air Force Academy in...
Following a narrow, manmade waterway, the Fairmount Trail winds its way from Arvada to Golden. Along this flat, gravel and dirt pathway, trail-goers will enjoy scenic views of North Table Mountain and...
In comparison to some of the lengthy, fantastic trails in the southern suburbs of Denver, the Lee Gulch Trail may not seem like anything special. However, it offers a wonderfully useful off-road...
The Castle North Trail provides a safe, non-motorized connection between the Castle Rock Community Recreation Center and Castle North Park. The paved pathway cuts right through the heart of the...
The Dutch Creek Regional Trail provides an opportunity to experience some natural beauty and tranquility amidst the suburban surroundings southwest of Denver. Currently running for a shade over three...
The Niver Creek Trail winds through Thornton, a northern suburb of Denver, connecting parks, riparian areas and open space inhabited by prairie dogs, coyotes, numerous bird species, and other...
The Spring Gulch #1 Greenway is a multiuse pathway in Longmont, Colorado. The trail stretches the length of the 16-acre Kensington Neighborhood Park, extending from 3rd Avenue north to a point not far...
The Willow Creek Greenbelt Trail is a six mile, paved and soft-surface trail that runs along a creekbed in the suburban area around Centennial. The trail begins in the north outside the Holly Park...
With only 4 miles of an eventual 65 miles open, the already award-winning Peaks to Plains Trail is attracting new users every day. While US 6 basically parallels Clear Creek, the Peaks to Plains Trail...
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The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Van Bibber Creek, Park and Trail all owe their name to Isaac van Bibber, an early settler to the area. The trail begins on Oak Street and heads west in the swathe cut by the creek through the...
The West 44th Avenue Trail is a ten-foot wide concrete sidepath that runs along the side of its namesake roadway, helping to connect two important trails in the Denver region's trail network, the...
The Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
In the 1800s, a series of ditches was constructed to manage water and irrigate farmland in the Saint Vrain Valley. The historic Oligarchy Ditch dates back to this period, although today this channel...
The Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail opened its first 7-mile section in 2016, but is one day planned to stretch 25 miles across the northern Denver Metro area, including the suburbs of Westminster,...
The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Van Bibber Creek, Park and Trail all owe their name to Isaac van Bibber, an early settler to the area. The trail begins on Oak Street and heads west in the swathe cut by the creek through the...
Most of the Ralston Creek Trail follows its namesake waterway, winding through several parks, neighborhoods and open areas in Arvada. On its western end, the trail becomes gently hilly and passes...
The West 44th Avenue Trail is a ten-foot wide concrete sidepath that runs along the side of its namesake roadway, helping to connect two important trails in the Denver region's trail network, the...
The Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
The Hangman’s Gulch Trail runs along Hangman’s Gulch, a dry stream in Castle Rock. The trail starts at Castle Rock Recreation Center, where it connects to the Woodlands Bowl Open Space on the other...
The Bear Creek Path begins just south of the University of Colorado Research Park and winds its way southwest to the Martin Acres community. The trail is paved and generally flat, although there is a...
The Toll Gate Creek Trail begins on the south end of DeLaney Community Farm, a 158-acre scenic property that educates and allows members to sustainably grow agriculture. Here, it connects to the High...
The Wonderland Creek Greenway stretches just over a mile along its namesake waterway on the north end of Boulder. The trail begins at Norwood Avenue near Centennial Middle School and meanders...
A short, but useful suburban trail, the Lilley Gulch Regional Trail helps to connect numerous neighborhoods in the community of Columbine with local parks and schools, and provides a safe and off-road...
The Goose Creek Greenway offers a major east-west route through Boulder. Note that there is little shade along the way and the pathway runs through busy commercial areas, including the Villa Shopping...
Westminster, Colorado, has over 145 miles of dedicated non-motorized trails, from major bike thoroughfares to the smaller local routes like this one, which knit them all together. The trail on...
The Niver Canal Trail parallels the Coronado Parkway for nearly 2 miles across Thornton, a northern suburb of Denver. About mid-way, the trail passes Rotella Park, which offers restrooms, picnic...
The East Plum Creek Trail begins in a field across the street from the Native Legend Open Space. It goes through an underpass under Meadows Blvd near Castle Rock Middle School. The next few miles of...
The Greenwood Gulch Trail is a short paved trail that runs along the path of its namesake gulch in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village. The trail offers residents the chance to experience a little...
Weir Gulch cuts a narrow, jagged path through the landscape of west Denver down to the Lakewood border. A greenway path imitates the course of the stream, winding from the edge of the Platte River...
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The Union Pacific Trail runs for just a short distance between E. 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway in the Denver suburb of Thornton. The trail runs through a shadeless corridor alongside a railroad...
The Cherry Creek Regional Trail is a picturesque 40-mile route that begins in downtown Denver and connects suburban and rural Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, including the communities of Parker,...
The Little Dry Creek Trail provides a paved, relatively flat pathway for bikers, walkers and skaters through areas of Westminster and northern Arvada. The tree-lined route follows its namesake, Little...
I have bikes this trail a few time in an adaptive trike. It is pretty level (for Colorado). There’s always plenty of people running, walking and biking this trail, but everyone is courteous and works together to use the trail.
Never again. Although very scenic in some areas the signage along this trail is lacking, especially in important areas when there is a fork in the trail. I found myself going the wrong way several times. The City of Arvada needs to step up and provide direction for riders who don't know this trail. When it's getting dark and becoming cold, the challenge of finding your way back on the this kind of trek does not become fun anymore.
If you do this ride round trip, the elevation gain is over 1,100 feet. Not a bad ride and if you look in the distance the view is nice. However, the trail is parallel to Kipling so you’re riding next to a busy street with a lot of traffic lights. That said, the drivers were extremely nice. We are cyclists that obey all traffic laws and it was great how we could ride in unison, thanks Lakewood!!
I didn't get a chance to explore all of this trail, but I was very impressed with what I saw of if as well as the Denver cycling infrastructure in general (handlebar videos available at youtube.com/ratbas). The idea of being able to ride for miles through a major city without having to cross an intersection is very enjoyable. The trail is well maintained, has good signage and plenty of public are while taking you past many points of interests. There are also countless access points to make it very practical for commuters and tourists.
We had a wonderful time on the LoBo Trail, beginning our ride from Boulder's Celestial Seasonings parking lot after a great tour of the tea factory. The trail’s scenery was beautiful: a mixture of shady tree corridors and open fields with long grasses and wildflowers. Quiet neighborhoods buffered the trail just beyond the trees, and we saw many people out enjoying a weekend bike ride or walking their dogs. The trail was largely hard-packed crushed stone, which our hybrid bikes handled easily. There was a short break in the trail between Twin Lakes Road and Lookout Road, but that afforded us the opportunity to access a commercial area where we stopped for lunch.
This is a great concrete running trail that is moderately shaded and pretty easy to follow. It connects with a couple other trail systems, most notably the Clear Creek Trail on the eastern end. Sometimes there are concentrations of homeless underneath Wadsworth Blvd. but they seem to keep to themselves. Occasionally, the disc golfers at Memorial Park will take up the whole path and/or smoke, but that's just a minor personal annoyance.
The worst part of the trail is when the trail briefly ends and you have to run along Brooks Dr. and Johnson Way on either the sidewalk or the road to get back onto the trail at the Apex Tennis Center.
Traveling west is an ever slight incline and as you reach the end of the trail on the western end of the trail, there are some serious uphill climbs. In the winter, the city does a pretty good job of keeping the trail cleared of snow but there are still icy patches around.
Overall, this is a pretty good urban trail.
Pros: Pretty well shaded, well marked in most places and lots of places to access or exit the trail. Great views of the mountains around Pecos and Federal when running westbound.
Cons: There are a lot surface-level street crossings starting at and east of Huron St. Trail runs next to busy roads for stretches.
Perfect for an out of towner like myself. Trail was easy to follow especially with this app!
My wife and I rode this trail out and back this week. Parking was good but you do need to find the lots and that can be difficult. The trail itself is wonderful. Lots of shade, open areas, and mixed riding with a nice climb and decent coming and going. The surface is well packed and wide. We saw many other bikers and walkers even though it was a workday. Our biggest complaint, and it caused more miles than planned, is horrible to non-existent signage. There are large blue signs at some intersections with the trail name but no direction on the signs. There are numerous trail junctions to neighborhoods, other trails, and shopping but not one sign to show where the main trail leads. For added confusion these off-shoot trails have the same surface as the main trail and look the same. At one major intersection the trail split 3 ways, we took what looked like the main trail and ended up in a car wash and the trail literally disappearing. Talking with locals who were on the trail was no help as many only used the connector trails and did not know where the main trail was. After finally figuring out the main trail with many detours we turned around before we would have liked and headed back. So, if going on this trail, know the trail before you go.
This trail from Mile High Stadium north to Thornton was awesome. The path is all concrete with a few brief exceptions. The trail is well laid out, good signage. The are frequent rest spots and even quite a few places to relieve yourself if need be with porta potties that were surprisingly clean. Lots of wildlife and open areas. Well worth the trip.
This is one of the loveliest and nicely maintained urban bike trail I have ridden. The trail is paved and wide without many hazards on the pavement. The trail is well marked for the most part. I did miss a turn at one point and found myself on a different trail. Eventually, I turned back and found the correct trail again. I had missed the sign on a fork in the road and turned on to the wrong trail. The scenery is very lovely - it follows along a stream with pretty waterfalls.
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