Carving our Path Outdoors

Colorado State Parks, with support from many Metro Denver counties and communities, has an ambitious plan to create a continuous trail linking the Front Range's diverse communities with a multi-use trail running from New Mexico to Wyoming. The Colorado Front Range Trail (CFRT) will link existing and planned trail systems with new trail corridors to create an extensive pathway system that connects Colorado's population centers.

• According to the list released in 2017 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Rocky Mountain National Park is the fourth most-visited national park in the country.

• More than 100 public and private golf courses are located in Metro Denver. In addition, 11 world-class ski resorts are within 100 miles.

• The City and County of Denver maintains more than 200 city and mountain parks and eight state parks in or immediately outside of the seven-county Metro Denver region. 

• One of the longest recreational trails in the Metro Denver area, the High Line Canal Trail, runs 66 miles connecting Douglas, Arapahoe, and Denver Counties.

• State, federal, and local government entities in the Denver Regional Council of Governments' metropolitan planning area, which includes most of the seven-county region, have preserved more than 374,000 acres of open space for future generations to enjoy.
• NoCoPLACES2050 is an organization that addresses growth and its impact on natural and cultural resource while providing equitable access and a quality recreation experience for current and future generations.
• The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Amendment to the state constitution gives a portion of state lottery proceeds to projects that preserve, protect, and enhance Colorado's outdoors.
• GOCO has invested in 3,400 projects throughout Colorado since its inception. GOCO announced in 2015 that it will commit $25 million to get children outside playing. Gov. John Hickenlooper also created the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, aimed at managing Colorado’s $4.2 billion recreation industry. 

Helpful links:

Metro Denver Open Space websites (by county):

• Adams County Open Space
• Arapahoe County Open Spaces Department 
• Boulder County Parks and Open Space 
• City and County of Broomfield Open Space and Trails
• Denver Parks & Recreation 
• Douglas County Parks, Trails and Building Grounds
• Jeffco Open Space Parks and Trails

Northern Colorado Open Space websites (by county):

• Larimer County Natural Resources Areas
• Upstate Colorado (Weld County) Outdoor Recreation