It was a century ago when one of Denver’s most visionary leaders started an initiative to ensure that all of our city’s residents and visitors would have guaranteed access to the beauty and splendor of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. On Aug. 27, 1913, the land for Genesee Mountain Park was acquired, making it the inaugural park of the historic Denver Mountain Parks system. Mayor Robert W. Speer began the initiative to preserve mountain land and make it city property during his second of three terms in 1912.
Today, the Denver Mountain Parks system consists of more than 14,000 acres that span across four counties in the Rocky Mountains just west of Denver. Each park has its own distinct character, but the system as a whole shares a common audience, multiple uses, geography and historic integrity. The Denver Mountain Parks system is on the National Register of Historic Places as a multiple properties listing.
“Our mountain parks help make us one of the most unique and expansive park systems in the world,” Lauri Dannemiller, manager of Denver Parks and Recreation, said. “This really is a treasure for the people of Denver and for all those that visit the mountain parks each year.”
To celebrate the past century and look ahead to the next, the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, in collaboration with photographer John Fielder, has released “Denver Mountain Parks, 100 Years of the Magnificent Dream,” a book honoring the system’s rich history. Denver Parks and Recreation will continue to invest in the mountain park system as it moves forward with a master plan developed in 2008. Those improvements include new structures for group rentals and picnics in certain parks, improved parking areas and infrastructure and new or upgraded hiking trails for the public. The Bison Herd Overlook just off of Interstate 70, which is also a part of the Denver Mountain Parks system, will soon get a new trailhead and improved way-finding signage.
Overall, the Denver Mountain Parks system includes 22 parks, 24 conservation areas and two bison herds. These iconic landscapes typically draw more than two million visitors to Denver and the region each year. These include Red Rocks Park, Lookout Mountain, the Buffalo Bill Museum, and Echo Lake and Summit Lake Parks on Mt. Evans.
To learn more about Denver Mountain Parks, visit a new exhibit on the fifth floor of the Denver Central Library or visit our website at . To order a copy of “Denver Mountain Parks, 100 Years of the Magnificent Dream,” visit the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation at .
The DPR system spans over a 138-year history from the first park created in 1868 to nearly 15,000 acres of urban parks and mountain parkland today. It embraces nearly 3,000 acres of “traditional” parks and parkways, 2,500 urban natural acres and 154.9 square miles of urban forest.
Angela Casias is a marketing communications specialist for Denver Parks and Recreation.
