This 123 acre urban wildlife refuge & outdoor classroom, is a hidden gem right in the city! What once was an irrigation reservoir in the late 1800s is now a refuge & a great way to connect with nature in NE Denver. Bluff Lake has a variety of habitats & is home to deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, birds & rabbits just to name a few. The day I went I saw many, many rabbits! In their outdoor classroom they host environmental science programs for elementary school students. The trail is easy & family friendly (about two miles) that goes around the lake. Check out the cool boardwalk while there. This was a peaceful & serene way to spend the afternoon, with pretty views of the mountain range. To access the trails you'll need to walk down lots of steps or take the paved walk, ADA & stroller friendly. They also host monthly events like, Bird & Guided Walks, Family Nature Adventure Days plus After School Programs & Mini-Camps - check out their website for more info. Things to know before going...it's free, open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset, no domestic animals, no drinking water & only Porta Potties at the entrance & along the trail. Also, no motorized vehicles & bikes. Go & enjoy the beautiful outdoors at Bluff Lake! read more

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Beautiful park in a beautiful neighborhood. Ample parking and open from sunrise to sunset. As other reviews mention, no dogs or bikes allowed. It's not a big park, but just enough to walk around and enjoy the scenery. You can also see the skyline of downtown Denver from here. read more

Bluff Lake Nature Center is a great place to go to! The walking trails are very nice and not too highly trafficked. I enjoyed the scenery and looking at the birds. A very beautiful place good for all ages! read more

Bluff Lake Nature Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Wonderful place to walk. Groundhogs are so flipping cute! What a great open space in the middle of Stapleton

This was a very relaxing walk. I got lost in hearing this mini "waterfall". It was muddy and slushy bc of snow but still fun!! read more

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First things first - the Bluff Lake Nature Center itself can be found just East of Martin Luther King & Havana; it's their business office that is on 29th Street. The refuge is due East of Stapleton. Martin Luther King Blvd. is now open and connects Quebec Street to Bluff Lake. This place is one of Denver's most wonderful secrets. It's a 123-acre wildlife refuge in East Denver, and it hosts one of the most amazing views of the front range I have ever seen. The walking path is nice and well preserved, and it's never busy. Despite being so urban, once you've stepped down into it, the rest of the world just seems to disappear. This is a great spot to do some birding, get some exercise, meditate, or volunteer. Plus, the wildlife and nature photo ops are abundant. It's always free and it's open from sun up to sun down everyday. They have an open parking lot and clean restroom facilities. There are picnic tables available and if I'm recalling correctly, there's a soda machine, too. My only advice is that if you opt to go anywhere between May and September, wear something to protect yourself from mosquitoes and/or gnats. They can get rather aggressive. read more

Bluff Lake Nature Center - The path at Bluff Lake. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Three words: no dogs allowed. Immediately upon parking I had a man who I could only assume was a local bored resident inform me no dogs were allowed before both feet hit the ground. Wow. Nice welcoming town. read more

Thank goodness for Bluff Lake Nature Center! It is located close to my work, and I love running there after I leave the office. The view from the bluff is amazing - probably one of the best views of the mountains in Denver - and when you dip down below the bluff, the city kind of disappears and you are left with quiet, serene trails. I always see something different during each visit, and almost always see wildlife - deer, the resident turkey, lots of birds and waterfowl, and of course the prairie dogs! Even though it is a private, non-profit, I am thankful that the site is open to all and they welcome runners. Sure, running at Wash Park or Central Park is nice and I appreciate Denver Parks & Rec, but I *love* the experience at Bluff Lake. It's kind of amazing to have a nature area like this in the city that is free and here for the public to experience. read more

This place is beautiful and amazing. Many will lament the fact that there are no bikes or dogs allowed. Those people are missing the point of preservation and conservation . This space is perfect for a walk, a personal walk, a family walk or even an evening walk. Trails abound but not so you could become lost. In the summer the leaves shimmer in the sunlight and in the winter the stark stillness allows for perfect perspective. Certainly if you had a bike run or a dog run in mind the disappointment would be acute as it is such a wonderful area that you want to make it your own. Don't let that deter you enjoy it for what it is and you will be glad you came to this oasis in the city. read more

My husband and I regularly trail run here. Its really beautiful, and in the evenings, the sunsets are incredible. The lake bed is dry and has been for a while, but its beautiful in its own way, and is still such a peaceful oasis in the city. We've run into deer, large snakes, and a fox (not literally RUN into, thank god). Awesome! Where else in the city can you find all of those things while out on a run? The path is always well maintained, and litter is scarce. There are nice mile markers as well. To the person complaining about not being allowed to have dogs or bikes, its a NATURE CENTER. You don't take your dog to the zoo, do you? We have come within inches of stepping on a snake sunning itself in the path, twice. If we'd had our dogs with us, they would have found the snake first and it wouldn't have been pretty. If we'd been on bikes, we probably wouldn't have seen it in time. Dogs and bikes would also have scared away the deer. There are a plethora of other options as far as parks are concerned to take your dogs to or to bike around. The Bluff Lake Nature Center actually attracts...wait for it...NATURE! The no food is a no brainer. DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS! People can't be trusted, with their food or their trash. Sad but true. This is a great place, and we'll continue to return to it several times a month. Thanks for keeping up a great space Bluff Lake! read more

I wanted to love this place but it really didn't work for us. It's fine if you just want to take a walk or birdwatch. However, I took my preschool grandson expecting an interpretive center, exhibits, etc. Basically, it's trails and a few posters. I understand they do field trips for school age kids, etc., but I recommend other nature centers for preschool kids. Also, at present, there is alot of construction on Havana so you have to drive through a muddy mess to get to the trails. I can see where it would be a lovely walk in spring. read more

this place smells. i feel crazy. there were so many people there and none of them seemed phased by the smell. also the creek that runs through it is very polluted. i feel bad for the people that run this place cuz they clearly do their best but the area is just so polluted & smelly. it's also very loud from whatever machinery is in the distance. visually a very beautiful place and lots of wildlife but all going here did was make me realize our city has a pollution problem. depressing. concerning. smelly. if i were to donate money to y'all i would want it to go to cleaning the water somehow if that's even possible... not bringing more kids/people here. it doesn't even seem that safe to breath idk.. read more

No bikes? No on-leash dogs? What's next? No kids? No strollers? No people? I suspect the only reason this place has a wheel-chair accessible path at all is that they're probably required to by federal law. Yeah, yeah, I get it. You've probably got some sob story of an idiot letting their off-leash dog run off or kill the wildlife, or a bicyclist running around off trail. Except, you know what? There are plenty of children, teens and adults that don't fall into those categories that might STILL cause problems by not following your oppressive rules. Then what? Ban everyone? Nature areas are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. I have a bad (bionic) hip. I cannot walk around this area without being in severe pain. I *CAN* bike it, however! (and guess what, I've NEVER gone off the trail!) How about this for a novel idea? Why not hire ENFORCEMENT officers to keep the "jerks" in line while allowing the "good people" who follow the rules to actually ENJOY THE AREA!? Oh that's right. You're probably one of those organizations that feel like nature areas shouldn't be enjoyed by anyone and that's why you try very hard to keep out as many people as possible. If I were elected to your board of directors, my first act would be to have the rest of you resign. (If anyone would like to nominate me, feel free! :) ). My second act would be to make this area inclusive to ALL members of the community! Thanks for wasting my time biking around the perimeter, looking for some legitimate way to enjoy your "exclusive" area! PS: Thanks for the pavilion in the middle of a pretty area. It must be great to eat there and enjoy the nature around you. Oh that's right. No food allowed either! read more

Bluff Lake is really a special place in a very underserved part of the metro area. Unlike other parks in Denver, it isn't overrun by dogs, bikes, and the like. Bluff Lake serves an important mission to protect wildlife and educate children. The recent Colorado floods bring another very important purpose of Bluff Lake and wetlands to light. We've destroyed a huge number of our nation's wetlands, making floods more severe. As we continue to urbanize our planet, areas like Bluff Lake become increasingly critical. Thank you all for the great work that you do. read more

I understand that Bluff Lake is an important community asset and is the only bit of nature that can be found in this neighborhood. I support the idea. However, upon visiting the park, I was disappointed and a little concerned. The park was covered in trash and smelled like the factories nearby. The only people we saw were three kids around the age of 12 that screamed obscenities at us as we were leaving. Overall, it isn't worth the trip and I wish I had just walked around Washington Park instead. read more

Bluff Lake is a hidden gem in the city. It's hard to tell from the street/parking lot but once you drop down into the trails around the lake it feels like you are miles away from the city and its not crowded with people. They also have great programs and events, like the Fireside Chat series at night, summer camps, a program for preschoolers, and seasonal events as well. Forget the complaints about not allowing bikes or dogs - the trade off is you actually will get to see an amazing array of birds, deer, and other wildlife. If you haven't gone already, check it out! read more