From the City of Denver: “The Cherry Creek Trail, Denver was first founded and runs along the creek for more than 40 miles to Franktown. It is one of the most popular bike/hike/jogging trails in Denver and one of the prettiest” and that just about says it all. By far the most popular segment is from Cherry Creek State Park to its terminus at Confluence Park where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River. As the trail starts from Cherry Creek State Park in SE Denver it goes through J. F. Kennedy Golf Course, Hampden Heights Park neighborhood, and soon you are riding through the Indian Creek community and Cook and Garland Parks, where there are always activities like Soccer and volleyball going on.
Proceeding toward downtown you arrive at the 4 Mile House and Historic Park, which was an important stage stop from Denver in the Stagecoach days, and has many activities for kids. You are also near the very popular, upscale, and renovated Bonnie Brae and Belcaro Denver real estate developments to the west. As you bike under Colorado Blvd, you are now in the Cherry Creek Trail Denver area which includes the beautiful communities of the Polo Grounds, Washington Park, Country Club, Hilltop and Crestmoor which have some of Denver’s most beautiful homes, not to mention the superb Cherry Creek Mall and shopping district.
As you ride around the mall and turn on to Speer Blvd, you will pass the prestigious Denver Country Club and now descend back down to the river again that runs next to and below Speer Blvd. to downtown. As the photos show, it is a really pretty through town but out of the traffic with the creek next to you. A great bicycle side trip is the 6th through 8th Avenues Denver Historic district and the Cheesman and Congress Park areas between 8th and 14th Avenues, both to the east of the trail.
You are now downtown and will pass the Civic and Performing Arts Center, and the Auraria Campus, home to CU Denver, Metro State, and Community College of Denver, where the LODO (LOwer DOwntown) area starts. Many old buildings have been restored and it is a very popular area with its loft lifestyle, bistros, coffee houses, and clubs. I always enjoy searching for homes here because of the historical nature and the many surprises you see in lofts, as none are identical.
We now pass the Pepsi Center, home of The Denver Nuggets and The Colorado Avalanche and the end of Cherry Creek Trail, Denver, is in site at the Platte River and the old Denver Tramway building that is now a REI flagship store and of course a Starbucks!
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Denver is affectionately nicknamed ‘the mile high city’ by the residents since it’s exactly a mile high above sea level at 5,280 feet. It’s also been called ‘the Gateway to the Rockies,’ ‘Sports city USA’ and ‘Queen City of the plains’ as well by some.
If you are looking for an ideal vacation setting for a family holiday or a romantic weekend getaway for two or simply life of adventure, commune with nature and chance of playing some outdoors sports like hiking, skiing or rock climbing or even biking or boating for example, or indulging your senses in some live action thriller at spectator sports (basketball, football/soccer, baseball and hockey) this summer or winter, look no further – Denver just literally hits the spot on many levels.
“Denver {http://www.lovelydenver.com} has virtually all the amenities you’d expect to find in New York or Los Angeles: opera, theater, modern dance, art, excellent restaurants, and sophisticated hotels and convention centers,” says Eric Peterson and Don & Barbara Laine in their book, ‘Frommer’s Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs,’ 9th edition. “You’ll also find historic Victorian mansions, working steam trains, and old gold mines. You can go horseback riding, hiking, skiing, or shopping; do the Texas two-step to a live country band; or spend hours browsing through a huge four-storey bookstore, a gigantic model-train shop, or the world’s largest hardware store. You might also join the locals at what many of them enjoy most: being outdoors under the warm Colorado sun—so don’t forget your hiking boots, mountain bike, skis, sunscreen, and sunglasses,” they advise.