While planning a work trip to Denver, I thought I ‘d do a bit of research to see where I could take my longboard around the city for some cool riding sessions after my meetings.
Colorado has lots of mountains and cliffs – some of the best in the U.S! There are hills and roads (main and back) for all kinds of longboarding, from scenic cruising to distance skogging to technical freeride and high-speed downhill!
Some of the best longboarding spots in and around Denver include:
- Washington Park
- Cheery Creek paths
- Bear Creek trail
- Denver Tech Center
- North Boulder Park
- Golden and Lookout Mountains
See also:
Longboarding in San Diego
Longboarding in Kansas City
Longboarding in Houston
Longboarding in the Denver Metro area
The metro area is all hills, with many parks that allow you to longboard around these hills. There are also awesome paths and trails for some scenic cruising. Last but not least, Denver city also has some hot freeride spots.
Washington Park is a major spot for longboarders and bikers, with very smooth pavement circling all around the park. This is a great place for cruising and skogging on your longboard.
Cheeseman park further to the West also has nice smooth alleys you to longboard on. It has some really steep downhill sections, however, so it’s better suited for more experienced riders who can control their speed.
Bear Creek Lake Regional Park has great paved trails for longboarding. You can have some relaxed and scenic longboard rides around that area. Just be respectful of cyclists when riding around there.
The Cherry Creek bike path extends across the metro area from the Cherry Creek State Park at the Southeast end all the way to the Pepsi Center sports arena downtown. It’s a very nice, smooth and long pathway to longboard on, however it does get crowded with fast cyclists, slow pedestrians and runners, unleashed dogs etc, which is why some longboarders prefer to avoid it.
An alternative to the Cherry Creek is to ride on quieter trails further to the North. These trails, e.g. Clear Creek Trail and Little Dry Creek Trail, extend toward the West from Pecos Street and 64th Avenue, along a river and roughly parallel to Highway 76.
Warning, if you go for late afternoon longboard rides there, however, be prepared to cross the path of swarms of bugs!
E. Orchard Road in the Denver Tech Center area is an awesome road with both flat and downhill sections that you can ride on for about 4 miles. The road is wide enough to carve back up for slowing down, and there’s basically no traffic on Sundays. Start near the I 25 (e.g. on Quebe St) and start riding West down Orchard Rd. Once you get to the bottom of the long hill you can catch the bus to go back up.
For completeness, I’ll mention you can also decide to cruise around the downtown area, although probably not the best experience due to heavy traffic:
Longboarding around Denver
Denver South side longboarding
Littleton has a nice smooth paved trail to longboard cruise on, the Mary Carter Greenway Trail, which runs alongside the Platte river and parallel to the railroad tracks.
Further to the South (about an hour drive from Denver) is Colorado Springs, home in the past to the Pikes Peak Downhill Race. These are super steep hills suited for professional-level downhill longboarders.
Denver North side longboarding
About a 40-minute drive North of Denver, North Boulder Park has some steep hills with smooth pavement to the West. The most famous run there (and in all Northern Colorado) starts on 4th and Dellwood. You should really master sliding for speed control to tackle this one as it’s a very steep and fast hill with sketchy turns – it also runs into an intersection!
Check out this video to see what you’re up against:
Fort Collins is about an hour drive from central Denver. It’s a nice college town with lots of nice paved bike paths for pushing and cruising on your longboard. Trails in the area include the Spring Creek Trail and the Fossil Creek Trail (source). Fort Collins makes a great day trip from Denver. Being packed with college students, you’ll likely run across other longboarders you can cruise with around the trails.
Denver West side longboarding
The Highlands area has a nice hill that starts around 32nd and Tejon – there used to be a longboard shop there but it’s now closed. Be aware that this hill is quite steep and best suited for longboarders who know how to slide and stop.
A nearby longboard spot is to start on 32nd and Federal Blvd and ride East on 32nd. This is a milder run with only two stop signs. It has low car traffic after hours. You can skate all the way down to Highland Gateway Park where you can have a fresh German-style brew at Prost Brewing.
Much further West of the Denver city center, you can take a longboarding day trip to the Golden area and look for awesome hills for aggressive freeride and downhill runs in the Lookout Mountain.
Final words
Even though there’s very little hype around it, Denver is an incredible city for longboarding, with hilly trails and scenic rides all over the metro area. The surrounding areas and mountains are also replete with amazing spots and day trips for distance skating, freeriding, or even downhill racing.
I’ll end this post by sharing 2 useful and active longboarding groups you might want to join if you’re planning on hitting Denver with your longboard:
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Photo credits:
Featured “Good Morning Denver” (CC BY 2.0) by docoverachiever
Glenn
Friday 2nd of April 2021
You can longboard pump on the Poudre River Trail from Greeley to Windsor and beyond for many uninterrupted miles on a nicely maintained path.
Big Kahuna
Friday 2nd of April 2021
Thanks for this awesome tip Glenn. Ride on!