Kids will find dozens of fun outdoor activities in Denver, located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, that don't cost a thing to enjoy. In a city full notable attractions such as Cherry Creek State Park and Denver Botanic Gardens and professional basketball, baseball, soccer, football, hockey and lacrosse teams, it's no surprise that kids in the "Mile-High City" can enjoy the outdoors without having to spend a dime.
Denver has more than 80 miles of trails for running, jogging, hiking and biking. Children can bike anywhere from the .29-mile Montbello Civic Center trail loop, an urban park trail, to O'Fallon Park's 4-mile mountain park trail. Other urban parks where kids can go biking are Cherry Creek Trail, City Park, Garland, Huston Lake, Verbena Park and Washington Park. Mountain park trails include Beaver Brook Trail, Red Rocks Trail, Lookout Mountain Trail, Braille Trail and Corwina Park Trail.
Kids can have fun exploring diverse wildlife habitats located right in the city. Covering 3,000 acres, Denver's natural areas are places where kids can view and learn about birds, waterfowl and small mammals, and see native plants and wildfowers. Kids can join a volunteer outdoor program working with goat herds that are used for weed control and land restoration. The city's natural areas give children a chance to play and discover while enjoying outdoor activities and education. Some of these natural areas include Aiken Canyon, Needle Rock, High Mesa Grassland and Zapata Falls.
Take the kids (and the dog) to a Denver Mountain Park, where kids can enjoy outdoor recreation including fishing and wildlife viewing. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Denver's Mountain Park system has two fishing spots -- Echo Lake Park, open from May through September, and the 420-acre Dedisse Park. Kids can see bison in Daniels Park and in Genesee Park, the system's first and biggest park. All of these parks have scenic views and picnic facilities.
Denver has a long list of neighborhood parks where kids can have fun playing sports for free. Dozens of parks have multiple facilities where kids can play, such as football and baseball fields and basketball courts at 51st and Zuni Park and Argo Park. Some parks also have soccer fields, including Ash Grove Park, Aztlan Park, Bates and Hobart Park and Village Place Park. For kids who play tennis, parks with courts include Barnum Park, Washington Park and Swansea Park.
