Denver, CO

Your Guide To Secret Parks in and Around Denver – 303 Magazine

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

Your Guide To Secret Parks in and Around Denver – 303 Magazine

Welcome to a world beyond Cheesman, City Park, and Wash Park! While these iconic spots are fantastic, Denver boasts over 200 other hidden gems waiting to be explored. If you find your usual spots a bit too crowded, why not venture into the lesser-known green spaces scattered throughout the Mile High City? 303 Magazine has scoured the city to bring you a curated list of secret parks in Denver and its surrounding areas that are just waiting to be discovered. Your very own hidden oasis could be right in your backyard – so why not embark on a journey of exploration and uncover the beauty that Denver’s lesser-known parks have to offer?

Observatory Park

Observatory Park. Photo by Kyle Cooper.

Where: 2100 S. Fillmore St., Denver

The Lowdown: Denver University students have probably heard of this one, but if you live or work near this gorgeous campus, you must check out Observatory Park. This little oasis hidden in a nice woodsy neighborhood offers some great reading spots underneath the trees. The park is named for the Chamberlin Observatory, DU’s very own astronomy tower that’s located in it. You can watch the stars or a full moon here and you don’t have to be an astronomy student. Check the Observatory’s schedule here to see available times.

Belleview Park

Where: 5001 S. Inca Dr., Englewood

The Lowdown: If you don’t spend a lot of time in Englewood, maybe you should because Belleview Park has everything. More like a small amusement park than simple city green space, Belleview’s got a miniature train you can ride at $2 per person (children two and under are free), a farm where you can pet animals and a water park called Pirates Cove. If that sounds all sounds like it’s for kids, then you might just prefer the bike paths and the creek. And if it doesn’t, well you better catch that train. For more info on attractions, please click here.

Olympic Park

Where: 15501 E. Yale Ave., Aurora

The Lowdown: If you love sports, this park in Aurora has all the amenities. Featuring volleyball courts, baseball diamonds and soccer fields, Olympic Park is for athletes to train or anyone looking for a pick-up game. Inside the park, you can also find another park called Wheel Park, a facility that includes a skateboarding bowl, roller-hockey rink and BMX bike track. This park is like its own recreation center.

Zuni and 51^st Park

Where: 5050 Zuni St., Denver

The Lowdown: North of the Sunnyside neighborhood nearby Regis University, you’ll find Zuni and 51st park — the park we know you definitely haven’t been to. Google Maps doesn’t even have a description or real address for it. If you want to appreciate Denver from a distance, the hill in this quiet neighborhood park has the perfect bench to sit on and look at the skyline. Better hurry before someone else steals the spot.

George M. Wallace Park

Where: 4700 DTC Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: In terms of landscaping, the George M. Wallace Park near the Denver Tech Center might be the most lovely on our list. Named in memoriam of the Tech Center’s founder, Wallace Park is picturesque rolling hills, trees and sidewalks that stretch alongside the tall business buildings. The park also has constructed obstacles and hurdles that runners can use to make sure they’re toning those muscles. You must make the drive south for this one.

Alamo Placita Park

Where: 300 N. Emerson St., Denver

The Lowdown: It used to be called “Little Place of the Cottonwoods” for the trees that grew naturally here, but now the small garden sanctuary — now named for the Alamo Placita neighborhood — is home to even more plants and flowers. If you drive on Speer, you most often miss it, but this little piece of heaven is the ideal place to catch your breath and drown out the traffic when you need a break.

Ruby Hill Park

Where: 1505 W. Jewell Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This hilly park south of downtown is so fun locals use it for skiing and snowboarding. During the winter, the park features obstacles to practice all your shredding tricks and in the warmer months, visitors can play on the playgrounds or use the baseball diamonds and mountain bike park. There are even sweet views of the skyline.

Babi Yar Memorial Park

Where: 10451 E. Yale Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This 27-acre park in the shape of the Star of David is actually a living Holocaust memorial. With an amphitheater, grove, ravine and two inscribed black granite monoliths that pave the entrance, this park was designed to commemorate those who lost their lives at the 1941 through 1943 Nazi massacre of Jewish peojhple and others in Kiev, Ukraine. As a place for reflection and remembrance, the Babi Yar Memorial Park is a great spot to find peace and quiet.

Great Lawn Park

Where: 101 Yosemite St., Denver

The Lowdown: In the Lowry neighborhood bordering Aurora, the Great Lawn Park is only a short drive east of the city and definitely worth checking out. Public green space is everywhere you look and you will even see mountains without any trees to block your view. With baseball diamonds, a creek, playgrounds, and a cool sundial monument, Great Lawn Park might be your new favorite spot.

Huston Lake Park

Where: 850 S. Bryant St., Denver

The Lowdown: With lots of shady places to relax and a lake to fish in, Huston Lake is the tranquil oasis you won’t find in the downtown hustle and bustle. Featuring a paved trail and beautiful views of the Front Range, this secret park is definitely worth escaping to.

Grant Frontier Park

Where: 2300 S. Platte River Dr., Denver

The Lowdown: Bicyclists rejoice. There is a park just for you along the South Platte River Trail. This hidden park just south of Evans Avenue and South Huron Street offers the calming sounds of the rushing South Platte River, a scenic walking bridge, playgrounds and beautiful paths for walking or riding. Grant Frontier Park is a favorite on our list.

Ketring Park

Where: 6000 S. Gallup St., Littleton

The Lowdown: If you enjoy running around the lake in Wash Park but are tired of crowds, Ketring Park has you covered. Featuring a small lake with a 0.92-mile loop path, this scenic park hidden within quiet neighborhoods of Littleton is ready for your workout or relaxation. Ketring might be the most tranquil on our list.

Belmar Park

Where: 801 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood

The Lowdown: If you love trees, Belmar Park has places to hide. With hiking and biking paths, stone sculptures and playgrounds, Belmar Park offers the same picturesque scenery as Cheesman or City Park, but is more nature-centric. A trip to this crown jewel in Lakewood promises views of wildlife and some much-deserved peace and quiet.

Inspiration Point Park

Where: 4901 Sheridan Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: This secret park definitely earns its name. Not all parks in the city offer views of the Rockies, but Inspiration Point Park near Arvada does. The park features a gorgeous bluff lookout that oversees the Clear Creek Valley and makes for a nice walk and refuge from your daily stress. This one should be at the top of your list (it’s on ours for one of best places to see the sunset).

READ: Best Places to See the Sun Rise and Set in and Around Denver

Centennial Center Park

Where: 13050 E. Peakview Ave., Centennial

The Lowdown: This park is fun for the whole family. As playground heaven for the little ones and the young at heart, Centennial Center Park always has something exciting going on. With its very own water playground, nature area and amphitheater that hosts concerts and shows, this secret park is the ideal weekend afternoon retreat.

Central Park

Where: 8801 MLK Jr. Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: With a Dr. Seuss-inspired playground, this family-fun park in Stapleton is the secret park parents should know about. Bouncy purple mounds, whimsical trees and tubes to climb through are fun for all ages. As the third largest park in Denver, Central Park is an astounding 80 acres — and has everything — picnic/grill areas, a pond, sport fields and drop-dead gorgeous scenery of the Front Range.

James A. Bible Park

Where: 6802 E. Yale Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This large green space near Cherry Creek State Park often goes unnoticed, but is a great place to play or relax. Jogging trails, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and a playground with a sandbox are some of the many highlights of James A. Bible Park, but the best part is really the space all to yourself.

Redstone Park

Where: 3280 Redstone Park Circle, Littleton

The Lowdown: Catch a fish or play a pick-up game at Redstone Park, Highland Ranch’s favorite park. With baseball diamonds, a skate park, an amphitheater, a playground with a wooden castle and moat, a fishing pond and much more, Redstone has everything and then some. Our favorite spot in the gazebo, the highest point in the park where you can score mountain views.

Ralston-Central Park

Where: 5850 Garrison St., Arvada

The Lowdown: If you don’t want to drive to Centennial Center Park and live in the north, check out Ralston-Central Park — the year-old park that has playgrounds galore. With a splash pad (water playground) and picnic pavilion, this secret park is fun for the whole family and makes for an exciting day when you want to enjoy the sunnier weather.

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Denver, CO

Former Avs defenseman launches beer brand in Denver

Published

2 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

While most people know beers as “cold ones,” Tyson Barrie opts for a different name.

“We’ve always just called beers chilly ones,” the former Colorado Avalanche defenseman said.

Now, Barrie hopes his moniker goes mainstream with his beer brand Chilly Ones, which made its U.S. debut weeks ago in Colorado. He plans to move to the Centennial State from his home country of Canada come fall to build it out.

So far, the beer is in about 200 businesses across the state, mostly liquor stores like Bonnie Brae and Argonaut, but also eateries such as Oskar Blues.

The light lager is available in cans at 3% alcohol by volume. The less-than-light ABV is popular in Australia and some parts of Europe, he said, but nothing serves that segment in the U.S.

Barrie also said the brand has a nonalcoholic version “in the tanks and ready to go” at Sleeping Giant Brewing Co., the Denver facility where Chilly Ones is made. He said it’s one of the only booze-free options that could “trick” him, and he expects the version to be available by April.

“If you look at all the data that we’re seeing, these two categories – the nonalc and the low – seem to be two of the only ones in the alcohol space that are growing,” Barrie said.

Chilly Ones has been available in Canada since late 2025, and he said a 4.5% to 5% edition is also in the works, though that one won’t hit the shelves for months.

“From what we can see in Canada, people question the 3%. They say it’s not enough,” he said through a grin. “Then in the U.S., people aren’t questioning it at all. They really liked a little bit less and the moderation factor to it.”

That’s why he thinks the low-carb, zero sugar, under 100 calorie drink is a perfect fit for Denver. With the city’s storied history in craft beer combined with a more conscious, active lifestyle, it’s the perfect stateside launching point for his brand, Barrie believes.

Drafted by the Avs and playing in the city from 2011 through 2019, his preexisting connections also were a selling point.

“Every occasion is a little bit different, whether you’re parenting or you’re at a concert or you’ve got to get up early or you’re having two after work and you want to drive,” he said, explaining why there will be multiple versions of the drink available.

“It’s pick your own adventure. We’re not going to judge you,” he continued. “If you want to celebrate and get absolutely hammered, we’ll give you that option too. It’s just you can do it a little bit healthier.”

The idea came to Barrie when he had “a dozen” or so chilly ones during a night with friends years ago. In his phone’s notes app, he wrote that he would one day start a beverage brand with his NHL buddies and call it his colloquial name for beer.

He was still playing in the league at the point, but in 2024, two years after, somebody from the beverage world “very serendipitously” reached out to see if Barrie would be interested in starting a wine or whiskey company.

“And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’d do a beer,’” he recalled.

He was still in the NHL playing with the Nashville Predators but nearing the end of his career. The now-34-year-old gathered several of his fellow skaters, including Avs star Nathan MacKinnon, and other career connections like Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz, and Chilly Ones was born.

Having that post-playing career journey already laid out has been challenging but worth it, he said.

“I have a lot of friends who have retired, and you struggle with a bit of purpose and you wake up and you’re just kind of looking around, not sure what to do with yourself,” he said. “So I feel grateful. I didn’t even have any time to reset. I was just kind of thrown in the fire.”

Barrie and Chilly Ones raised an undisclosed amount from friends and family to start the brand and are in the midst of a more institutional round.

He and Chilly Ones have no plans to venture outside the state in the short-term. He said he, Chief Operating Officer Kimberley Kainth and CEO Matthew Clayton want to test the market for all three options and get feedback before expanding elsewhere.

Longmont-based Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis is an adviser, along with White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade alum Todd Anderson.

“We have a team that we really, really trust who has scaled and built products in Colorado and moved out,” Barrie said. “We want to get our feet under us in Colorado and then we’ll start to really look at who’s next.”

Read more from our partner, BusinessDen.

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Denver, CO

Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply

Published

14 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply

Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.

It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.

An federal immigration agent on Feb. 5, 2026 in Minneapolis.

Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.

The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”

DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”

On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.

“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”

“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.

Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.

You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”

Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.

Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:

“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”

Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.

“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”

There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.

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Denver, CO

9NEWS

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

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