· Mile High

City Park

Aliases: Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Duck Lake

Denver’s large and impressive City Park is more than just a park – it is also home to the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, both well worth a visit in their own right. The park itself is a cornucopia of beautiful trees and several productive ponds. The best birding tends to be along the nature trail around Duck Pond, where breeding colonies of Black-crowned Night-Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, and Snowy Egret are occupied during the spring and summer, and the abundant trees can have migrants in season. City Park Lake is also worth a check for a variety of waterfowl, including often tame Wood Ducks. During winter, flocks of sparrows and sometimes finches can be found, and the park, not surprisingly, is also a good place to look for the typical suite of urban birds. Note: although the park is open daily from 5 AM to 11 PM, the gates allowing cars to enter are closed on Sundays (May through September), and occasionally during special events.

County: Denver

Directions: From I-25: exit at CO 2/Colorado Blvd. Go south on CO 2 to 22nd Ave. Go west on 22nd past the museum parking lot, where the road curves north; head southwest to City Park's parking area. The park is bordered on the east by Colorado, on the north by 23rd Ave., the west by York St., and the south by 17th Ave. There is access to parking lots from all these roads, or from the myriad of small roads into the park.

Dates of Access: Open all year
Hours: 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Zoo hours - Winter: 10 AM - 4 PM; Summer: 9 AM - 6 PM; Museum Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM
Ownership: Municipal
Admission: Free to the park; Zoo: $14 - $17 entrance fee; Museum: $4 - $16.95 entrance fee

Restrictions: Please obey all rules and regulations

Parking: Paved parking area
Lodging: Hotels in Denver

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

Latitude: 39.746683
Longitude: -104.945576

» Visit the website for City Park

Contact Info:

Denver Zoo: https://www.denverzoo.org/
Museum of Nature and Science: http://www.dmns.org/