Jefferson County, Colorado

In Clear Creek Canyon, visitors can fish, rock climb or pan for gold.

Jefferson County includes the cities that lie to the west of the City of Denver including Arvada, Lakewood and Golden. The County also extends further west to encompass mountains, foothills and valleys in Colorado’s Front Range. The story of land preservation in Jefferson County begins at the start of the 20th Century, when the City of Denver decided to create mountain parks in addition to traditional city parks. As the Colorado Front Range became a growth magnet sixty years later, the citizens of Jefferson County also demonstrated a commitment to open space preservation by voting to tax themselves to permanently protect their spectacular landscapes.  

Donation of the Boettcher Mansion allowed Jefferson County to add a nature center and a wedding gazebo to Lookout Mountain.

In 1912, the voters of Denver approved a plan to create the Denver Mountain Parks. This was a particularly novel idea since these parks would be located, as the name suggests, in the mountains beyond the Denver City Limits. Today the Denver Mountain Parks encompass 14,000 acres of land in four counties. Two of the most recognizable parks in the Denver Mountain Parks system, Lookout Mountain and Red Rocks, are located in Jefferson County. Lookout Mountain Park is small in size but is widely known for its panoramic view. Buffalo Bill Cody was so impressed with the setting that he chose this park for his gravesite. Red Rocks Park is famous for its 300-foot high sandstone formations and for an amphitheater that takes maximum advantage of its stunning setting.  

The trails of Windy Notch Park offer outstanding scenery as well as a great workout.

The Jefferson County Open Space Program began in 1972, when the voters of Jefferson County approved a one-half cent sales tax devoted exclusively to the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of natural areas. Currently, approximately two-thirds of the total fund is spent in the unincorporated portions of Jefferson County with the remaining third allocated to the cities within the County. Since 1972, the tax has generated over $285 million and has preserved over 51,000 acres of land. Of this total, over 42,000 acres are managed by the County including over 186 miles of trails. The resulting parks represent a stunning achievement considering the intense development pressure generated by the explosive growth of the Denver region.

Oddly-shaped rock formations are just part of the attraction of Alderfer/Three Sisters Park.

Just west of the City of Golden, the Open Space Program has assembled five contiguous parks that offer a wide range of outdoor experiences. Centennial Cone Park is basically wild land traversable only by foot or mountain bike. Even though Centennial Cone Park is home to mountain lions, the Open Space Program allows limited deer and elk hunting seasons here to help maintain a sustainable herd population.

Adjacent to Centennial Cone Park, Clear Creek Canyon Park offers rock climbing, stream fishing and panning for gold as well as a chance to spot golden eagles and bighorn sheep. Next door, Windy Saddle Park allows bicyclists an off-road alternative to the paved circuit known as the Lariat Loop, a 40-mile scenic route connecting the communities of Golden, Morrison, Lookout Mountain and Evergreen.

At a higher elevation, the Jefferson County Open Space Program has continued the preservation work on Lookout Mountain that was started by the Denver Mountain Parks. Here, the granddaughter of Charles Boettcher, a Denver businessman, donated the family summer home and grounds to Jefferson County. The Boettcher Mansion is available for weddings as well as other events and the bulk of the property has become a nature center.

Thanks to a dependable funding source, the Jefferson County Open Space Program has been able to consistently make sizeable acquisitions year after year over its 35-year history. In addition, this dedicated dollar flow allows Jefferson County to plan for future land preservation. In the most recent five-year plan, Jefferson County depicts where it would most like to apply its acquisition dollars in the future.