· Mile High

High Line Canal (Denver Section)

Aliases: Sunfish Lake, Bible Park, Hutchinson Park, Eisenhower Park, Wellshire Golf Course, Skeel Reservoir

Well-connected to the Denver area bike-trail system, the High Line Canal Trail is, in terms of habitat, probably the best path throughout the city. The portions further south are discussed separately, but the Denver portion makes for a good morning bike ride or walk if you’re staying in the city. The mile-and-a-half stretch of the High Line Canal west of Havana and east of Valentia may be the best birding area along the canal in Denver. Almost continuous large cottonwoods line this stretch, supplemented by adjacent tall trees in many yards with, in some places, good undergrowth tangles. A natural area just southeast of the trail’s junction with Valentia is not open to the public, but can be partially birded from the trail side of the fence.

You can read about author Robert Michael Pyle’s adventures growing up along the High Line Canal in The Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland.

County: Denver

Directions: The best parking is at Exposition Park. Take I-70 east to I-225 south. From I-225, exit at Alameda Ave. and go west to Havana St. Head south on Havana St. to Exposition Ave. Go east on Exposition to the parking lot on the north.

Dates of Access: Open all year
Hours: Daylight hours
Ownership: Municipal
Admission: Free

Restrictions: Watch out for bicycles

Parking: Varied
Lodging: Hotels in Aurora and Denver

Handicapped: Yes
Handicapped Access: ADA accessible facilities and some trails

Latitude: 39.704301
Longitude: -104.859164

» Visit the website for High Line Canal (Denver Section)

Contact Info:

Colorado Birding: https://coloradocountybirding.org/BySite.aspx?SiteID=748&CountyID=17