Sand Creek Greenway

Construction Info and Trail Detours/Closures

Updated May 9, 2012

Current Trail Closures: No
Current Trail Detours: No
Current Construction Areas: Smith Road over Sand Creek, I-70 Bridge over Sand Creek (see below)

Smith Road/Xanthia Area Temporarily Closed

Attention Trail Users: Denver Water is installing a new water pipeline down Smith Road, and they have closed Smith Road under the new Central Park Blvd. bridge to do this work. Denver Water has also closed Xanthia Street across from the Smith Road bridge, which is a trail entrance point for many trail users.

We are trying to get a detour built that will take trail users from the corner of Xanthia and Smith Road to the pedestrian bridge over Sand Creek south of the Smith Road Trailhead. The new detour trail is not open yet, but we hope to have it operational within a week.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience and hope to have a safe alternative for trail users very soon. For more information, please call (303) 468-3262.

Replacement of I-70 Bridge over Sand Creek

Over the next twelve months (August 2011 to August 2012), travel on the SCRG trail may be disrupted by a major construction project above and around the trail under I-70, just east of Quebec Street. CDOT and their contractors will be building a new bridge over Sand Creek – and the trail goes under the old bridge. CDOT and the contractors have promised to make every effort to keep the trail open during daylight hours. Please follow the instructions of the flag person if there needs to be temporary closures of the trail. Remember that the trail WILL BE CLOSED AT NIGHT!

Central Park Blvd Bridge Now Open to Traffic

The trail has officially been re-opened under the new Central Park Boulevard Bridge! The detour that was in place is now closed, and the bridge is open to vehicular traffic.

Please be advised that the side walks on the south side of the bridge have not yet been completed. We will update this page when the sidewalks are in place and the bridge is safe for bike traffic.

A new concrete path has also been constructed from the Greenway trail to Central Park Boulevard on the north side of the bridge. This is great news, as this provides Greenway users with easy access the Northfield shopping center. Check out this map for details .

We are still looking for a good long-term detour for this area, since there will be two more bridges built – one for a new Union Pacific Railroad bridge and one for the new RTD East Corridor FasTracks bridge, both over Sand Creek (and over the SCRG trail). Short term closures may occur for this site also, but we hope to have a detour in place soon. Thanks for your patience in this matter!

Trail users are our eyes and ears on the Greenway. Please call us at (303) 468-3260 or send an email to kkramer@sandcreekgreenway.org if you have any issues, problems, or solutions. We would love to hear from you!

SCRG Trail Information & Directions

From west to east, the trail starts in Commerce City, continues through Denver, and concludes in Aurora. These directions by city will notify you of closures, detours, and snow removal so you can better enjoy your wilderness in the city.

Commerce City

Closures: None.

Directions:

PARK (your car, if you need to) at 60th and York.

RIDE north on the South Platte Greenway until you see the bike/pedestrian bridge over the South Platte River at the Sand Creek confluence (just before the South Platte Greenway goes under I-270).

TURN east on the Sand Creek Regional Greenway (on bridge over South Platte River).

FOLLOW THE TRAIL as it goes along the south side of I-270, then turns right at the Burlington ditch. Keep following the trail as it goes left over the Burlington Ditch – and then you have smooth sailing.

.CONTINUING to the east, stop and enjoy the cool 5-acre Pepper Riparian Area just west of the Colorado Blvd bridge. Look for the beaver den.

The TRAILHEAD at Dahlia and 56th is open and a great place to park your car.

Commerce City Wetland Park. In the early morning and late afternoon, egrets, herons, ducks, foxes, muskrats, and many other natural friends can be seen.

After you CROSS THE BRIDGE to the south side of the creek, at the Wetland Park, look for the restroom building to your right. If you follow the unpaved trail around the wetland areas, you will come to a new paved parking lot at the end of 52nd Avenue. If you go to your left at the bridge is the newest section of off-road trail and it is beautiful! Enjoy this last mile of paved trail all the way to 47th Avenue Drive at the Denver city line.

Denver

Closures:Sporatic construction (see closure descriptions above).

Snow Removal: The trail in Denver is not paved, and therefore it is not plowed after snowstorms. Please report any problems to us as soon as possible, so we may try to solve them.

Directions:

The GOOD NEWS is that in the spring of 2006 we opened an off-road bike/ped link to the new Northfield shopping area along Quebec Street. The bridge over Sand Creek (linking the Sand Creek Greenway trail with the new bike/ped overpass) at Quebec provides another major north/south access to the Greenway.

There is a TRAILHEAD on east Smith Road (to reach it by car, turn onto Smith Road from Havana).

FOLLOW THE TRAIL east, past the Urban Farm on the north, down to the creek and up the hill to Havana. Go on the sidewalk over the Sand Creek bridge on Havana and look for the detour signs on your right. Follow the trail off to the right, down under the bridge and up on the other side of Havana. Follow the trail that goes along the road (with Bluff Lake Nature Center on your left) all the way to Peoria.

BE CAREFUL - New and improved roads are being built along Havana and Martin Luther King Blvd. There are sporadic construction activities in the Denver section. Please do not go around barriers on the trail.

Aurora

Closures: None.

Snow Removal: A few sections of the trail in Aurora are plowed (such as the sidewalks along East 28th Avenue), but most sections are not paved and therefore not plowed.

Directions:

SMOOTH RIDING - The trail is open and beautiful from the underpass at Peoria in Sand Creek Park past Airport Blvd. Stay on the trail through the northern section of Sand Creek Park. Go under I-225 and continue past Sable and Chambers. Enjoy the beautiful section from Chambers to Star K Ranch – especially this time of year.

AFTER Chambers Road, you will enter the 200-acre STAR K RANCH with the trailhead and beautiful Morrison Nature Center to the left. Look for the trails heading north (left) off the greenway trail and follow them to the parking lot and nature center (about ½ mile).

OR continue through Star K Ranch to Airport Blvd and go south (right) on the sidewalk/road of Airport Blvd. to where the High Line Canal Trail crosses Airport Blvd. (about 1 mile).

OR continue on the Sand Creek trail until it ends near Colfax Avenue.