With more than 280 parks across the city, there’s no shortage of reasons to love Denver’s parks! This #ParksAndRecMonth, we’re celebrating the people, places, and programs that make our parks an essential part of life in the Mile High City. Denver’s parks aren’t just green spaces—they’re deeply tied to our city’s identity, connectivity, and resilience.
#1 Mountain Parks
Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) manages 22 mountain parks and 24 conservation areas, spanning more than 14,000 acres. This includes iconic sites like Red Rocks, Lookout Mountain, and Echo Lake Park, offering urban residents access to unforgettable outdoor experiences just a short drive away.
#2 Urban Ecology
DPR’s Urban Ecology program is a unique initiative that plays a critical role in the city’s resilience to environmental challenges in the face of climate change and a growing population. Priorities of the program include expanding native and drought-tolerant landscapes, restoring biodiversity, and improving the ecological health of waterways in our parks.
#3 City Park Greenhouse
Denver grows its own plants for public use, with a special focus on perennial and native Colorado plants. The 36,000-square-foot City Park Greenhouse produces over 250,000 flowers, shrubs, and plants, and 13,000 pounds of food each year. It’s a model of sustainability and innovation that few other cities match.
#4 Alternative Sports
In 2023, DPR completed an Outdoor Adventure and Alternative Sports Strategic Plan, aiming to increase equity and access to non-traditional recreation activities like snowboarding, climbing, and skateboarding, especially in communities that historically haven’t had those options.
#5 Bison Conservation
For over a century, Denver has been a leader in preventing the extinction of bison herds, which once numbered 30 million in North America. DPR maintains two conservation herds in Genesee Park and Daniels Park. In 2021, DPR began working with tribal partners to select tribes across the country that will accept surplus bison to build and enhance conservation herds on their tribal lands.
While there is so much to love, there is always more to do to enhance and maintain these cherished spaces and programs. Much like our schools and libraries, parks are a public resource—one that often needs more funding than the city budget can provide. Across the country, cities have long relied on private donations to elevate public spaces—and it’s time for Denver to do the same. By building a culture of community support for our parks, we can ensure these essential spaces thrive for generations to come.
The Denver Park Trust is the philanthropic partner for Denver Parks & Recreation, mobilizing support to fund projects to ensure every resident has a place to gather, play, and enjoy nature. If you want to ensure Denver continues to build on our legacy of a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable parks system, consider a donation to the Denver Park Trust this July for Park and Recreation Month!