City Park is Denver's largest urban park. At more than 300 acres, it offers a variety of amenities including tennis courts and athletic fields, a network of paths, an event venue, and cultural institutions such as the Denver Zoo and Denver Museum of Nature & Science. At any given time, multiple projects may be underway in City Park. Explore the following sections to learn more about current and recent projects.
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Denver Parks and Recreation is planning to improve safety within City Park by redesigning the roadways on the west side of the park. This proposed project will restripe and reorganize the roadways in City Park to simplify vehicle circulation and create new pedestrian and bicycle space on the roadways to help people walk and bike around and through the park. The project would include new striping for the roadways, signage to provide clarity to drivers about circulation and destinations and may include new physical barriers between the vehicle space and the pedestrian/bicycle space. Implementation is tentatively scheduled for late 2026. If you have questions or comments, please email parksandrecreation@denvergov.org.
Community Open House: May 19, 2026
Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) aims to improve road safety within City Park by redesigning the roadways on the west side of the park. Through restriping and reorganizing the roadways, DPR will simplify vehicle circulation and create new pedestrian and bicycle space. Neighbors were invited to learn more about the design and share their thoughts at an open house at Carla Madison Recreation Center.
View the May 19 slideshow recording
View the meeting boards(PDF, 30MB)
View automobile circulation map(PDF, 3MB)
View loop trail and road circulation map(PDF, 3MB)
Beginning May 2025:
Denver Parks and Recreation will be implementing improvements to the waterway channel in City Park. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of summer 2025. Due to this construction, a section of the Mile High Loop Trail within the park will be temporarily closed. The Nature Play playground will remain open throughout construction. The map below outlines the areas impacted. Please use caution when present in the general area.
View the construction and closure map(PDF, 1MB)
This project will celebrate and educate visitors about environmental resiliency and the native and indigenous people, animals, and land of Denver. This project will include:
Download the project information sheet(PDF, 922KB)
Project Schedule:
- 2025-2026: Public Outreach
- 2025: Concept Design
- 2026: Final Design (Gather & Heal)
- 2026: Construction (Restore)
- 2027: Construction (Gather & Heal)
Community Outreach:
Neighbor's Meeting with DMNS: June 3, 2026
Project Update Meeting: Stop by the City Park Neighbor’s meeting with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on June 3 at 5:30 PM. Meet at the construction fence at the east side of the Museum as we will start with a tour of their new space.
Print a meeting flyer for your community(PDF, 11MB)
Starting in late May, you will begin to see initial irrigation work as DPR prepares to transform the area into a more naturalized native meadow that reflects the region's historic landscape.
By updating the existing irrigation equipment, the area will be prepared for the existing turf to be replaced with a native short grass prairie. The irrigation schedule will shift from a current high-water-use irrigation schedule to a lower-water-use approach during this effort. Later this fall, the area will undergo soil steaming, which is a pilot approach with CASR and Indigenous community partners for vegetation control that aims to keep a healthy soil during the process, followed by the installation of native meadow plantings. In addition, new walkways will be added.
Public Meeting: June 26, 2025
Join Denver Parks and Recreation to discuss the intertribal Living Land Project at City Park. The project aims to celebrate and educate City Park visitors about environmental resiliency and the native and indigenous people, animals, and land of Denver. This project consists of improvements in the south meadow, former eastern playground, and Lily Pond. Conceptual designs for gathering spaces, a medicinal garden, and an arbor will be presented.
- When: Thursday, June 26 | 5:30-7:00 PM
- Where: Carla Madison Recreation Center Rooftop Event Space, 2401 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206
Informational Meeting: April 23, 2025
Join Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) for updates on the following projects:
- Living Land
- City Park Roadway Improvements
- Lily Pond Historicorps, Phase 2
- Nature Play
- DMNS East Plaza
- DMNS Gems & Minerals Renovation
WHEN: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science | West Atrium | 2001 N. Colorado Blvd, Denver 80205
Download and print the meeting flyer(PDF, 452KB)
Spanish language interpretation will be available. It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please reach out to parksandrecreation@denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.
Spring 2026 Update:
Nest-building season has arrived at Duck Lake in City Park. In March 2026, cormorants were observed building new nests on all of the habitat structures installed in 2025, an encouraging sign that the improvements are supporting local wildlife. These new nesting areas are expected to provide habitat for future generations of fledglings at Duck Lake.
Later this spring, the Denver Parks and Recreation Volunteer Program will begin work to refresh and revitalize the floating wetlands on the lake. While some plant loss occurred in 2025, regular inspections showed young fish continuing to use the wetlands for shelter and shade provided by the root systems. From fish to fledglings, the ongoing improvements at Duck Lake are helping create a healthier and more resilient habitat for wildlife in City Park.
Picture above by Andrew Allamong: Cormorants building nests on City Park's Duck Lake
The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is partnering with Denver Parks and Recreation to pilot the re-opening of the West Entrance of the Zoo. If you have comments on this pilot in City Park, please take this quick survey.
Complete as of fall 2024:
In partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Complete as of summer 2024:
As the recipient of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Fishing is Fun grant, DPR restored the banks of the pond, creating crusher-fine trail access, and planting wetland species to enhance water quality and habitat. Native shrubs and vegetation were also planted to help stabilize slopes leading to the water's edge.
Complete as of fall 2023:
