Despite being home to more than 280 urban parks, there are just two places to play disc golf within Denver proper, , an app that maintains a database of courses worldwide.

“It does kind of suck” not having many options near downtown, said Todd Jacko, manager of , a hybrid disc golf shop and bar in Arvada. Local players like Jacko hope to see for the former Park Hill Golf Course, though it����ap still unclear exactly what amenities will be available once the $70 million project is complete.

In the meantime, there are plenty of places to snap plastic nearby if you’re up for a quick drive. (Those willing to trek farther should check out these destination mountain courses.)

Here are five disc golf courses to seek out near Denver.

Johnny Roberts (Arvada)

Nestled in a scenic wooded park in Arvada, is a beloved 18-hole course that����ap great for beginners and seasoned players alike. Most of the holes there are fairly short, offering prime opportunities to score an ace, and a stream running through the park offers a modest challenge. Don’t expect solitude here, as Johnny Roberts is immensely popular. In fact, , hosting nearly 46,000 rounds, according to UDisc. Still, players move quickly because the layout is condensed.

As a bonus, you can grab an adult beverage at Another Round (6350 Wadsworth Blvd., Suite A, Arvada) after or before you play, since it����ap only a mile from the park.

The Owl’s Den (Thornton)

With up to 27 holes to play, in Thornton is lauded for its variety. The course includes wide open fairways, technical wooded areas, and a mix of short- and long-distance throwing. Being that it is located along the South Platte River, players also get a little bit of a nature escape.

Upper Badlands and Lower Badlands (Federal Heights)

Those looking to get the most out of their disc golf trip should head to Camenisch Park in Federal Heights, which is home to two courses with a total of 36 holes. The and courses are known for their challenging terrain with elevation, trees and several hazards all coming into play. Players tend to favor Lower Badlands, as there have been construction projects near the Upper Badlands course in recent years. But both offer long-distance shots and require some technical throwing.

Fehringer Ranch (Morrison)

Located in a 135-acre open space abutting the foothills in Morrison, ‘s mountain vistas offer a little something extra for a day throwing 18 holes. While there aren’t many trees here, the wide open fairways range in length from “600-foot long bombers to 190-foot tight shots,” touts the Professional Disc Golf Association, making it a good choice for all skill levels.

For months, public safety unions in this small suburban Adams County city of 14,000 have clashed with the city manager’s office as Federal Heights’ elected leaders have been paralyzed in trying to find a solution to the dispute.

In January, the city’s police officers and firefighters in City Manager Jacquie Halburnt, claiming there’d been a breakdown in communication over requests for staffing and equipment upgrades for their departments. Three months later, the city sacked the police and fire chiefs, announcing the decision late on a Friday.

And now there have been mounting calls from the community for Halburnt, along with the city attorney, to be put on paid leave. But those have stalled after the City Council was unable to make up its mind on what to do over several meetings last month.

At one of those meetings, which was packed with residents taking to the microphone during a public comment period, Mayor Linda Montoya said she was to be mayor following an executive session that yielded no decision on the city manager’s fate.

All of the drama in this working-class community — wedged between Westminster and Thornton and less than 2 square miles in size — has longtime resident Jim Fenimore, 70, feeling despondent. And he’s not the only one.

“They’re frustrated, they’re completely disheartened about it — they have no confidence in the city,” he said of the dozens of fellow Federal Heights residents who have shown up at council meetings this year. “They’ve lost hope.”

Federal Heights Cmdr. Jason Schlenker, who until recently served as president of the police department’s union, said the trouble started last fall. An officer was injured when a squad car was rammed by a suspect who exchanged gunfire with police.

The late-September confrontation prompted the already-strained police department to request more support from the city manager’s office, Schlenker said. And crime reports in Federal Heights accelerated across several categories from 2024 to 2025, , with a nearly 21% jump in domestic violence cases and a whopping 82% leap in sexual assaults over that time.

“We were just asking for more resources and more officers,” Schlenker said, hoping to pump up the patrol officer headcount from 17 to 22. “She just ignored us.”

In January’s no-confidence vote, the unions for both the fire and police departments wrote in a statement that communication between first responders and the council “was strictly prohibited by the city manager.” Requests to boost staff or update safety equipment “were intentionally prolonged or simply never communicated to the City Council,” the joint statement said.

Attempts to communicate with the council or mayor about the requests, the statement read, were “met with the threat of retaliation.”

Manager disputes underfunding claims

Halburnt has been , working as the city’s top administrative official. She declined to grant an interview to The Denver Post for this story.

In a written response to emailed questions, she said she was “unaware of requested resources that haven’t been provided to the Police and Fire Departments.”

She cited in the police department’s budget recent funding to pay for four new police officers, at a cost of $560,000; the purchase of three new Chevy Tahoe police vehicles, for $300,000; and improved lighting and additional carports at the police building, also for $300,000.

On the fire side, Halburnt wrote that this year’s budget calls for a new fire marshal and two new fire trucks at a cost of more than $2.5 million total. The budget also sets aside $375,000 for a new ambulance, she said.

“The additional police and fire personnel were budgeted out of the city’s reserve fund,” Halburnt wrote. That will work for a few years, she added, but isn’t sustainable in the long run without “offsetting revenue.”

Overall, she wrote, “things are stable and we continue to operate and grow.”

“I, and the mayor and City Council, have always been supportive of the police and fire departments,” she wrote. “They play a vital role in the safety and well-being of the city, providing essential emergency response and protecting lives and property.”

Halburnt wouldn’t comment on why Police Chief Robert Grado and Fire Chief Marc Mahoney were let go early last month. Attempts last week to reach several members of the council, including the mayor, were unsuccessful.

Adams County District Attorney Brian Mason says he doesn’t see the stability in the city’s emergency services departments that Halburnt insists is there.

“I’m concerned about public safety in Federal Heights,” he said in an interview with The Post. “I’m concerned about stability in the police department in Federal Heights.”

Grado, who was chief for nearly 2 ½ years, showed “exceptional leadership,” Mason said, especially in the wake of a failure by the Federal Heights Police Department to investigate serious felony cases over a four-year period, including sexual assaults on children, shootings and suspicious deaths.

Mason’s office produced a 30-page report on the shortcomings at the police department in late 2023.

“He helped to turn that department around,” Mason said of Grado’s efforts over the last couple of years to address the backlog. “My concern now is that there’s going to be backtracking. I don’t understand why (Grado) is not there anymore.”

Former police chief files complaint over firing

Deputy Chief Karl Ballard was appointed as interim police chief following Grado’s departure, while Finance Director Tim Weitzman was tasked with overseeing operations at the Federal Heights Fire Department, according to an internal email obtained by The Post.

The former police chief told The Post that he filed a complaint letter over his termination, which he described as “unfair.”

“It has been devastating to my family financially,” Grado said of his dismissal. “I have had a lot of success in Federal Heights. It was a very troubled department when I arrived.”

Grado served for 12 years on the Regional Transportation District’s police force, five of those years as chief, before . Earlier, he was an officer with the Monument Police Department for 20 years.

Ken Murphy, who served on the Federal Heights council for nine years, said fortifying employment at the police department is critical to maintaining public safety in the city.

“The more presence of police you see, crime will go down,” he said. “If we had the right staffing and the right equipment, these guys could do their job.”

Murphy, who is married to the mayor, said he was on the council when Halburnt joined the city 14 years ago.

“Which was a big mistake,” he said of her hiring by the council.

Murphy, 67, speculated that much of the council was “afraid” of the city manager, explaining its unwillingness to place her on administrative leave. In the meantime, he said, he worries about what is happening to the civic soul of Federal Heights as the controversy drags on.

“From the outside looking in, it looks like a dictatorship,” he said. “No city should ever be ruled by one person.”

The business of Federal Heights will continue as usual on Tuesday, with the gaveling in of the next council meeting. , as of Friday, was a fiber-optic agreement, a sewer manhole lining project, and the appointment of a planning and zoning commissioner.

There was no mention of the city manager and her employment status.

It’s unclear whether a vote to place City Manager Jacquie Halburnt and City Attorney Bill Hayashi would have passed, but while a motion was being read, Hayashi said the motion was inappropriate because the agenda listed a discussion item and not an action item.

Councilors spent more than 90 minutes in executive session Wednesday during a special meeting to discuss the employment status of Halburnt and Hayashi.

The meeting took place less than two weeks after Police Chief Robert Grado and Fire Chief Marc Mahoney were abruptly fired on April 3. Staff was informed of the firing in an email sent out at 6:40 p.m. on a Friday night.

Read more at .

Federal Heights officials declined to comment on the firings of Police Chief Robert Grado and Fire Chief Marc Mahoney, which were announced in an email sent to all city employees at 6:40 p.m. Friday.

According to a copy of the email obtained by The Denver Post, city officials said Grado and Mahoney resigned and were “no longer with the city” and reminded workers not to let former employees into buildings without permission from the city manager.

Deputy Chief Karl Ballard was appointed interim police chief and finance director Tim Weitzman will be “overseeing” the fire department, city leaders said Friday.

In a news release late Friday, Federal Heights Professional Firefighters and Federal Heights Police Lodge officials said neither chief had submitted a resignation, nor were they notified that they had been fired.

“The manner in which this was conducted is incredibly disrespectful to both chiefs, police officers and firefighters,” union officials said.

“We will be submitting a request to state officials for a full investigation into these terminations.”

City Manager Jacqueline Halburnt declined to comment on the firings, stating it was a personnel matter. She did not immediately respond to an email requesting a copy of the resignation letters or termination notifications for Grado and Mahoney.

Mayor Linda Montoya also declined to comment, stating in a text message that she was just made aware of the news Friday evening. Montoya confirmed Grado and Mahoney are no longer employed by the city.

The police chief’s and fire chief’s ousters come in the wake of the police and fire unions presenting a unanimous no-confidence vote in Halburnt to the City Council in late January.

Tensions started rising after police department leaders sought funding to hire more officers to meet the national standard for officers per capita, firefighter union spokesperson Frank Rutkowski said.

“That����ap when we did the no confidence vote, because we thought they were being unfairly targeted for seeking a normal staffing level,” Rutkowski said. “It feels like retaliation.”

The Federal Heights Police Department previously came under scrutiny in 2023, when 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason found the agency had failed to investigate serious felony cases for several years.

Things at the police department “dramatically improved” after those problems came to light, Rutkowski said, but the relationship between city leadership and the police and fire chiefs later deteriorated.

City Council members called a special meeting a week after the fire and police union’s no-confidence vote and held an executive session about a personnel matter involving Halburnt, city records show.

After the Jan. 27 closed meeting, Montoya read a statement that “after a lengthy discussion, the City Council will be taking measures to address all of your concerns.”

The is set to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 2380 W. 90th Ave. The meeting will be streamed on Zoom.

The company originally bought Rosemont in 2017 and sold it in 2021 during a period of peak pricing.

The offers a variety of studios, one-bedrooms, lofts, two-bedrooms and townhomes, with nearly 90% of units already renovated with upgraded finishes and modern features.

“This acquisition highlights our ability to move decisively when we identify opportunities that align with our long-term investment philosophy,” said Mark Bates, Chief Investment Officer at Security Properties.

The acquisition strengthens Security Properties’ long-standing presence in the Denver region, which the company first entered in 2010.

The company regained ownership of Rosemont at about one-third below its 2021 sale price and more than 50% below replacement cost. This marks the 13th property Security Properties has owned in the Denver metro area.

While overall investor interest in Denver has softened, Security Properties said it remains bullish, as the acquisition reflects the company’s broader strategy of expanding across key growth markets.

“Even as Denver moves through a period of normalization, its long-term fundamentals remain compelling,” Bates said.

The purchase marks the company’s eighth market-rate acquisition of 2025, pushing year-to-date spending to nearly $700 million.

Eight miles north of Downtown Denver, Rosemont West 84th offers direct access to Interstate 25 and U.S. 36, connecting residents to major employment centers in Denver, Boulder and the Interlocken Business Park.

“We’re committed to growing our presence in Denver with the same thoughtful, disciplined approach that has defined our success in the Pacific Northwest.”

Security Properties is a national real estate investment, development and operating company headquartered in Seattle. For more than 56 years, the company has acquired or developed more than 120 multifamily assets totaling over 22,000 units.

The park’s newest addition, Summit Canyon, is on track to open in the spring when it replaces the four-decade-old Calypso Cove family area, the park said on its website. show at least four new pools and two long water slides in the area, with room for dozens of deck chairs and umbrellas on the east side of the development.

“Get ready to trek over tumbling waters, rush down avalanche-speed slides, unwind by peaceful shores, and discover new ways to play in Colorado’s biggest waterpark,” officials wrote online.

The former Calypso Cove closed on Aug. 25 after the water park retired its Caribbean-themed area, which was aimed at young kids and their parents with attractions such as Pirates Plunge, Wally World, Screamin’ Mimi and the grass hut-themed Caribbean Family Adventure play structure.

The park promised at the time that “these changes will bring fresh attractions and modern amenities that will better serve families, groups, and guests of all ages for years to come,” according to a statement.

The 70-acre park with more than 50 attractions typically reopens for the summer each Memorial Day weekend, although no dates have been shared on its website just yet. Operated by the Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District, a public entity, Water World last year won .

It opened in 1979 and has welcomed more than 15 million visitors, according to a statement.

The boy was last seen at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the 2500 block of West 92nd Avenue in Federal Heights, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Louis Salvador, 41, was wanted on suspicion of felony domestic violence assault, misdemeanor child abuse and a restraining order violation when he forcibly abducted the 2-year-old on Wednesday night.

CBI officials issued a missing endangered person alert in the early hours of Thursday morning, which kicked off an extensive search by local, state and federal law enforcement for the boy.

He was found safe in Denver as of 12:15 p.m. and reunited with his mother, police officials said.

Salvador was arrested on the outstanding warrants, and additional charges for the boy’s abduction are pending, CBI officials said.

Federal Heights police responded to a domestic violence assault at a storage facility in the 8900 block of Federal Boulevard just after 2 p.m. Thursday, when a suspect opened fire on officers who were trying to intervene, Cmdr. Jason Schlenker said at a briefing.

The suspect also rammed a vehicle into police vehicles, which “led to an exchange of gunfire,” the department said in a .

Two of the three people in the vehicle were taken to the hospital, and one later died. That person’s name will be released by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Police did not say whether the person who died was suspected of shooting at police, and department officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Adams County Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, Schlenker said.

A Federal Heights officer who was in the vehicle that was rammed had minor injuries, according to the agency.

A second police shooting occurred four hours later near the Bear Creek bike path when Sheridan Police Department officers responded at 6:15 p.m. to calls about a man walking along the path and threatening people with a machete.

Police started searching the area near South Clay Street and North Drive and found a man carrying a machete and commanded him to drop it, the department said in a news release. The man continued to move toward officers, who tried to use less-lethal devices that did not work before shooting him.

Sheridan police on Friday released a 36-second clip of body-worn video recorded during the shooting, which shows a man with a machete approaching officers as they aimed their guns at him and repeatedly told him to drop it and to stop.

Two officers deployed Tasers, and the man appeared to briefly pause before unsheathing the machete and swinging it at officers while saying “No” and “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Officers provided medical aid until paramedics arrived and the man was taken to HCA HealthONE Swedish, where he was pronounced dead.

The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, and the man will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received reports about 12:40 p.m. Sunday that a car had gone over the rim near the South Kaibab Trailhead, according to a .

Park rangers responded to the trailhead and recovered a man’s body from where it had fallen about 300 feet below the Grand Canyon’s rim, agency officials said.

He was identified by the Coconino County medical examiner’s office as 27-year-old Steven “Drew” Bradley of Federal Heights. Park officials said he was the only person in the car.

Although the National Park Service did not specify what caused Bradley’s car to go over the canyon edge, it concluded its news release by encouraging anyone struggling with mental health to call or text 988, .

The incident remains under investigation by the park service and the medical examiner’s office, agency officials said.

The 70-acre water park in Federal Heights will close Calypso Cove on Monday, Aug. 25, and rebuild it for future seasons. The themed area, described by Water World as a , is aimed at young kids and their parents with attractions such as Pirates Plunge, Wally World, Screamin’ Mimi and the grass hut-themed Caribbean Family Adventure play structure.

For those nostalgic about its four-decade history, a will be held from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24, after which it will close for good in its current form.

The current area will “make way for an exciting new chapter at Water World,” officials said in a statement. “These changes will bring fresh attractions and modern amenities that will better serve families, groups, and guests of all ages for years to come.”

More details on the rehab and its new attractions will be announced in the fall, the company said. There is no planned reopening date at the moment.