High Line Canal Trail

I grew up riding my bike on the part of the High Line Canal Trail near my house, and now I walk it daily. I love how well maintained it is, how many fellow walkers & cyclists are out there daily, and how many dogs I get to meet. :) I've also seen a variety of wild animals along it, including a shy wolf the other day! It's lovely having wildlife and nature easily accessible within Denver city limits!

The Highline Canal Trail is a wonderful way to travel to/from Denver to Highlands Ranch for pedestrians and bicycles. While the Denver sections are paved the southern sections of the trail range from soft to rough gravel. There are also portions of this trail that are closed due to the road and other area construction projects but overall still fairly navigable. This trail also intersects many other trails such as the Cherry Creek, Centennial link, Mary Carter Greenway, Big Dry Creek, South Platte River, C-470 and many more making it one of the most versatile trails in the Denver metro area. A true benefit for outdoor enthusiasts of all types.

We discovered this gem of a trail after finding out the road to the dam in Chatfield State Park was closed. I'm so glad it was closed because this trail was perfect for a short hike. On the section we hiked, from Roxborough Park Road to what I assume is the beginning of the trail about two miles east of the parking lot, we walked along a gravel/dirt road. It is fairly flat and an easy hike with beautiful views. We saw great fall colors in the cottonwood forest north of the trail. There are also spectacular views of the front range on the way back to the parking lot.We only saw two other people, on bikes, the entire length of the trail. The only others we saw while hiking were two women on horses down among in the cottonwood trees. One comical moment was when a woman on horseback stopped to use the parking lot portable toilet. The horse did not appear to enjoy waiting outside.This is a great place to take visitors who may not be acclimated to the altitude or able to tackle more strenuous trails.

We are lucky enough to have this very close to our house and winding along the golf course. We walk on the trail almost daily and enjoy watching the seasons change. It's stroller and bike friendly and nice and wide. I've seen all kind of wildlife along the trail like snakes, rabbits, deer and coyotes. Such an awesome community amenity!!

This trail is a little bit tricky to find if you have never been to it. I can tell you that there is a church on the SW corner of Colorado and Hampden where you can park. From there, you would want to head south and the trail goes on for a while. I managed to get lost a couple times where Google Maps came in handy! Nonetheless, on the way back it was an easy shot.This is great if you want to jump on a mountain bike or hybrid and not do any major inclines. There are a lot of big houses to look at which later turns into meadows and then views of the mountains. You pass several ranches before getting back into more residential areas before getting to McLellen Reservoir. I didn't quite get there but I know this trail continues on for a while. Likewise, if you park at the church and head south on Colorado a few blocks, you could pick up the trail and head towards Aurora. I haven't done that yet.For a nice weekend ride where you're not looking to exert too much effort yet having the option to go a long distance, this trail is definitely one to check out!

The High Line Canal Trail is roughly 4 1/2 mile trail friendly to bikers, hikers, runners and dog walkers. It almost directly behind my house which makes it easy to access. This trail also connects from the Big Dry Creek Trail East trail head. There aren't any hills and it is mostly flat, making it pretty easy for everyone.I discovered this trail while on a bike ride the other day. The Big Dry Creek trail was pretty short, so when I came to the end I was kind of bummed. Then I saw sign for the High Line Canal trail, so I followed the arrows. Everything is so well marked, it makes it a little easier to find. The trail was gorgeous, filled with trees and green shrubbery everywhere. Unfortunately, the creek was dried up at this time, but I know after it rains a few more times it will fill right back up. The trail took about 1 hour and then I headed back. I would highly recommend this trail for anyone who enjoys bike riding, jogging or walking. The trail is wide enough for everyone and it is beautiful.

Gorgeous bike riding trails and lots of different trails to choose from. This is a little Zen right outside of Littleton. If you take the trail west it's a pretty easy trail, some up hill moderate and the view of the mountains and Chatfield lake are breathtaking during sunset! Great place for a picnic or cheap date by the river or ponds!

I decided to explore this trail and bike it instead of my normal up-Wash-Park-down-Cherry-Creek-Trail-into-Confluence-Park-and-then-north ride in May...I was so glad I did. I took the section south from Hampden Ave through Cherry Hills Village, although I've also been on the trail E of S Colorado Blvd through Mamie D Eisenhower Park up to Dahlia before.The beauty here is breathtaking and soul rejuvenating. No joke, it almost brought me to tears once or twice. It's a meandering trail that generally heads south and then southwest, all the way down to Santa Fe (and further). *It is not a paved trail* -- I would describe it as hardpack dirt baked dry, with some fine grit sand, mica and other stuff on it. No broken glass that I saw, which was good.You can see bikers, hikers, baby carriages, horses and horse riders...almost anything along this trail. People there seem nicer than on CC Trail -- they smile and wave, and you can't help but smile and wave back. It has a good energy to it, this trail. A lot of trees, some striking house architecture, and flat or gentle slopes greet you on this entire section. BE WARNED also, if you need to go to the bathroom and think you can hold it...you're gonna be holding it a *long time*. There are no restrooms on the trail section from S Hampden Ave until you get to De Koevend Park in Southglenn -- that's a good *11 1/2 miles* down the trail. If you're not shy, that's fine -- but if it's a situation where you need to sit down and/or need toilet paper? That might be a problem. Hope this info helps.All of that being said, it's a glorious trail!! At 14.5 miles from Hampden, if you choose to, you can fork off onto Lee Gulch trail which will take you down to Santa Fe; you can then take the Centennial Link Trail up north to Belleview, or cross Santa Fe which will put you within a few hundred yds of Breckenridge Brewery to refresh yourself -- yum :)

The High Line Canal trail is near my house in Southeast Denver and also connects to Cherry Creek Trail. I tend to walk on the trail near my house, as well as bike on it. You can take the trail east into Aurora or even as far west to LittletonI found some interesting history about the canal and it was originally built as an irrigation project, not as a recreational outlet. I googled High Line Canal and found that the trail has 66 useable miles and goes out to Waterton Canyon, past Chatfield Reservoir in SW Littleton and stops way out east at Green Valley Ranch Rd. I'm pretty impressed. I've only ridden 15 miles or so on the trail, but it always is very scenic in my area and I think it would be even more so if I follow it along. Usually you find walkers, runners, cyclists and some times inline skaters, as well as people walking their dogs. In some portions, horseback riding is also allowed.I feel very fortunate that the trail is near my home and only takes me less than 1/2 mile to clamber up to the trail and explore and enjoy.

Great lil short hike with lil pond and sat in the woods and then lil walk with great vistas west. I'm pretty out of shape and this was good and short lil walk.