Multi-modal options for getting to our Sand Creek Greenway are featured in the July 6 edition of the Denver Post. (click here to go to the story) Our #wildernessinthecity is not far away, even if visitors don’t drive to get to our trail.
You can reach our Greenway via light rail or by bus. The A-Line stops close to the Greenway at the Peoria and Central Park stations; and the R-Line stops at Sand Creek Park at the Fitzsimmons station, which serves the Aschutz campus.
Quoting from the article:
The A-Line will get you close to the Greenway at Central Park Station. Walkers, bicyclists and runners can travel east from the station on Smith Road, under the Central Park Boulevard bridge to the corner of Xanthia Street and Smith Road. From this corner, you can either travel across the bridge and make an immediate dogleg right turn onto a short dirt trail, then turn left at the paved Greenway trail, or use the soft-surface crusher fine path heading south up the hill, which eventually will reconnect to the Westerly Creek/Sand Creek Regional Greenway trail south of Sand Creek. The A-Line Peoria Station is nearby the Greenway as well. Travel south on Peoria to Sand Creek Park in Aurora.
Or, take the R-Line to the Fitzsimmons Station. The trailhead at Sand Creek Park is a great way to connect to the Greenway. Heading east, trail users will encounter a variety of surfaces — paved trail, sidewalk and soft surface trail — and will connect to Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch and eventually to the soccer fields at Aurora Sports Park. In some respects, this stretch feels more like an escape from the city than other stretches of the trail. Taking the R-Line to Fitzsimmons Station also provides a connection south through Aurora, via the Toll Gate Creek Trail.
Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch
Although you can get to the Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch through the Sand Creek Regional Greenway, you can skip the extra miles by taking a bus straight there.
Take Route 37 to 32nd Avenue and Chambers Road, which is about a mile from the Ranch. If you’re coming from Union Station, hop on the A-Line to Central Park Station, then switch to the bus.
Bluff Lake Nature Center
“(Bluff Lake Nature Center) is a small pocket of wilderness on the Greenway that feels far removed from the noise of city life,” Nobles said.
The area is accessible via the Greenway or Route 34, which has a stop at Eastbridge Town Center. If you are coming from Union Station, you’ll need to take the A-Line to Central Park Station, then switch to the bus.
Ditch the car: Trails you can reach by taking the bus or light rail
Public transportation can get you to these nine trailheads
By Mindy Sink, Special to The Denver Post Jul 6, 2019, 8:00 am