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    Bluff Lake Nature Center

    4.1 (19 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 7:00 pm

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    Bluff Lake Nature Center Info
    Lee W.

    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!

    Alisa J.

    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!

    The path at Bluff Lake.
    Kat A.

    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.

    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!!

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    2 years ago

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

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    19 years ago

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    Review Highlights - Bluff Lake Nature Center

    We've run into deer, large snakes, and a fox (not literally RUN into, thank god).

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    Ubergrippen Indoor Climbing Crag

    Ubergrippen Indoor Climbing Crag

    (35 reviews)

    Northeast, Stapleton

    I've never climbed before, so I don't know what other climbing gyms are like. In light of that, my…read moreexperience here was great. I took the beginners class (included with a membership) that introduced me to the important knots for climbing. You get the needed equipment included with your first class (harness, shoes, belaying carabineers) although you can bring your own if you have it. If you aren't sure about gear, they have daily and monthly rentals while you figure it out. They've said that the routes will be getting changed regularly so it never gets stale, and they have some impressively challenging looking ones (I'll need a few years to work up to some of them). The staff that I've interacted with have all been very friendly. I've talked to them a few times outside of Ubergrippen (usually at Cheluna trivia night) and they've stated that becoming a part of the local community is really important to them. I'm really excited that they came to this community and I'm excited about having them here for a long time to come.

    I visited this climbing gym on a Sunday in April 2026. I was greeted and checked in with belay…read morecertification within 30 minutes, having been an invited guest. We needed this to climb. Once I finished these necessities, I was ready to climb. Within these thirty minutes, the gym got overrun by children of all ages and their parents. We had a rough time getting on routes, as the congestion was overwhelming. Parents who were belaying, letting their kids just hang off the wall without progress being made for way too long. We got tired of being tertiary patrons and left after losing patience. I inquired on our way out and was informed that gym is often overrun by children. This day had a "special" event but seemed more like the norm after inquiring. If you want to climb, I'd look elsewhere.

    Central Park Recreation Center - Central Park Rec Center

    Central Park Recreation Center

    (46 reviews)

    Northeast, Stapleton

    This review is specifically for the layout of the weights on the second floor. More specifically,…read morethe location of the bench press (2) and incline bench (1). The position of the two bench presses and incline bench are pushed up against the wall on the East side of the building. Right where the steel reinforcement beams are located which leaves NO space to safely spot your partner without hitting your head or back on one of those beams. You cannot even get behind them without crawling around the weights or beams themselves. This is incredibly dangerous and a major safety issue. Whomever designed the layout of the weight room does not appear to have experience with weight training. The nautilus machines and free weight areas should probably be switched. There is nowhere to safely stretch (people do it under the stairs) or do ab exercises, box jumps, etc. Someone, with knowledge of weight training, should redesign the space for efficiency and safety.

    I've been going to this rec center for about a year now & I love it! This is a regional rec center…read morethat not only offers classes, workout equipment & a gym but it also has basketball, pickle ball, volleyball & an indoor pool with a lazy river. This facility has a wall of huge windows with a beautiful view of the mountains. It's kept up & clean. There's always plenty of parking...there are even charging stations for electric vehicles. Note, membership is free for Denver residents that are 60+ & those ages 5-18. With membership you have access to all 30 Denver rec centers & pools. I regularly go to two classes - one is a Cardio & Strength class & the other is Tai Chi, both are drop-in. The instructors are fun & very knowledgeable. Christine teaches the cardio class & always demonstrates modifications, so it's perfect for all levels of fitness. Maureen is very well versed in Tai Chi as well. This is a fantastic center with fabulous instructors.

    APEX Denver - ta da!

    APEX Denver

    (24 reviews)

    Southwest

    If you like a shared space gym that's packed full of fun things, then this is the place to be! I…read morefelt both completely out of my element and right at home as a traveling aerialist. The space is compact and looks like a parkour gym with a little bit of this and a little bit of that tucked away in every corner (even a fairly full-looking weights area in the front of the building outside of the parkour area). The other students looked like they were very comfortable in the space, and the other students in my (Chinese pole) class were very nice, and we played around together after our class, which was awesome! The instructor did a great job moving the class along and bringing everything up/down in difficulty depending on the individual student. I loved trying out this new apparatus in such an encouraging and judgment-free place. I'll be back next time I'm in town.

    Since I was 11 years old, I've always wanted to do a backflip. Now that I'm 40, it seemed like a…read morelost dream. I bought one of these 30 day challenges online I thought would help me achieve a backflip, but it ended up teaching me the wrong stuff. Then someone recommended Apex to help me because they have drop-in classes and one-on-one coaching. Within four months, I finally got results! Here are my takeaways for success: * Come in with a goal. Pick a trick (or several). It motivates you to keep coming and helps you gauge your progress. * Do a monthly membership for at least three months. It gives you access to all their classes, which leads me to the next point.... * Take different classes. They do a LOT more than parkour, and I've yet to take a parkour class. They do aerial, handstand classes, tumbling, trampoline, tricking, and more. Taking other courses rounds out your training and helps your brain put all the pieces together. Most importantly, you get access to different coaches. I started with tricking, then tried a tumbling class with Anthony and everything came together. He's an incredible teacher who's great at demonstrating. But they all have unique teaching styles. Rob gives simple, clear instructions that work up to more complex tricks--with big results; Natatia has a great warmup and is vigilant to avoid injuries; and Bethel can spot mistakes others miss. It's important to find what works for you and every instructor is unique. * Consider private lessons. Ryan is a phenomenal coach, one of the absolute best I've ever met. I made more progress in one hour with him than months on my own. He's the perfect combination of supportive and challenging. HIGHLY recommend talking to him. * ASK QUESTIONS. Some reviews suggest people are unapproachable here. They aren't. They assume you are working on something unless you state otherwise. You'll understand why as soon as you land a trick and stimagine if everyone was interfering with your practice. Sometime you just need to do the work uninterrupted. * Finally, be gentle with yourself and your expectations. This is a lifestyle and progress moves at the pace your fingernails grow. Don't rush what's uncomfortable. It helps if you have other stuff to work on so your mind-body connection can rest. That's where learning happens.... Good luck to you and enjoy. This place will truly change your life.

    Bluff Lake Nature Center - nonprofit - Updated September 2026

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