High Line Canal Trail Denver - Guide to the Ultimate Urban Adventure
The High Line Canal Trail is a 71-mile park along the High Line Canal, a Denver Water feature built in the late 1800s to deliver water from the South Platte River to the areas south and east of Denver. The canal starts with a diversion point two miles up Waterton Canyon and travels 71 miles in a sinuous pattern on the plain and ends near Denver International Airport.
The High Line is one of the Denver Metro area’s best-kept secrets. And yet it’s everywhere: Aurora, Denver, Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, Littleton, and Highlands Ranch.
There are useful sections for bike commuting in Denver, but generally the High Line Canal Trail is an indirect sinuous leisure ride that represents a cross-section of the Denver metro area. As much as it’s a joyful bike ride, it’s also a remarkable ethnography of Metro Denver.
Everyone should ride all 71 miles — either in a day, which constitutes one of the most epic Denver bike adventures or over a series of outings. The biggest challenge is shuttling if you start in one place and end in another.
High Line Canal Trail Key Facts
Distance — 71 miles
Start — Waterton Canyon
End — Green Valley Ranch near the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center
Surfaces — Gravel, dirt, asphalt, concrete, and one city street.
Topography — Almost none until you get to Waterton Canyon and then it’s a gentle grade.
Jurisdictions — Many. Aurora, Denver, Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, Littleton, and Highlands Ranch.
Information — High Line Canal Trail Conservancy
Speed Limit — 15 MPH.
Horseback riders — Get off your bike, stand to the side of the trail, and allow them to pass.
5 Ways to Plan Your High Line Canal Trail Adventure
1-day 100+ Mile Ride With No Shuttle
This is the most hardcore of them all — by far. We recommend riding the High Line in reverse. Ride out to the starting point in Green Valley Ranch, ride 71-miles, then return to Denver through Chatfield State Park and the South Platte River Trail.
1-day Adventure With a Shuttle
Park Car #1 at the Waterton Canyon parking lot, then drive Car #2 out to Green Valley Ranch with your bikes. Park in the neighborhood near the start of the trail (which actually is Himalaya St for the first segment.) Ride the High Line Canal Trail to Waterton Canyon. Complete the Waterton section as a 4-mile out-and-back. Return to your car in the parking lot. Then drive to Green Valley Ranch to get Car #2.
2-Day Out-And-Back Adventure With No Shuttle
Recommended High Line trailhead: Mamie Eisenhower Park, which is about the mid-point of the trail at mile 37.5.
Day 1: Ride your bike to a point on the trail that’s near your house and then complete a “downstream” ride to the end of the High Line in Green Valley Ranch. Then return on the trail to your starting point and ride home.
Day 2: Ride your bike to the same starting point and complete an “upstream” ride to the beginning of the High Line in Waterton Canyon. Then return on the trail to your starting point and ride home.
3-Day Loop Adventures With No Shuttles
Divide the trail into three segments and plot routes from your house to and from the segment start and end points. For example, start from Washington Park:
Day 1: Wash Park to High Line Canal Trail Mile 71 (use Bike Streets) to High Line Canal Trail Mile 51 at Expo Park in Aurora to Wash Park (use Bike Streets.)
Day 2: Wash Park to High Line Canal Trail Mile 51 Expo Park (use Bike Streets) to High Line Canal Trail Mile 15 at Flyin’ B Park (near Chatfield State Park) to the South Platte River Trail to Wash Park (use Bike Streets.)
Day 3. Wash Park to High Line Canal Trail Mile 15 at Flyin’ B Park to Mile 0, the High Line Canal diversion point in Waterton Canyon back through Chatfield State Park to the South Platte River Trail to Wash Park (use Bike Streets.)
1-Day RTD A-Line Adventure
This is an urbanists multi-modal dream adventure. Ride to Union Station. Take the A-Line to the 61st & Peña Station. Ride to High Line Canal Trail Mile 71 (use Bike Streets.) Ride 71 miles on the trail to Waterton Canyon then back through Chatfield State Park to the South Platte River Trail to Wash Park (use Bike Streets.)
Multi-Day Out-And-Back Adventures with High Line Canal Trail Parking Locations
There are trailheads at many points on the High Line Canal Trail. Ride or drive to these locations and do a series of out-and-backs.
Day 1: Green Valley Ranch East Park - High Line Canal Trail Mile 61. Ride to Mile 71 and back.
Day 2. Aurora Municipal Center - High Line Canal Trail Mile 54. Ride to Green Valley Ranch East Park and back.
Day 3. James A. Bible Park - High Line Canal Trail Mile 42. Ride to the Aurora Municipal Center and back.
Day 4. East Orchard Road Trailhead - High Line Canal Trail Mile 30. Ride to James A. Bible Park and back.
Day 5. Flyin’ B Park - High Line Canal Trail Mile 15. Ride to East Orchard Road Trailhead and back.
Day 6. Flyin’ B Park - Ride west this time to Waterton Canyon and the High Line Canal diversion point and back.
High Line Canal Trail Intersections with Other Denver Metro Trails
The High Line is all over the place in metro Denver. As a result, it intersects with many of the essential trails in the region, including:
C-470 Trail, Railroad Spur/Mineral Avenue Trail, Lee Gulch Trail, Big Dry Creek Trail, Centennial Link Trail, Cherry Creek Trail, Tollgate Creek Trail, Sand Creek Trail, and First Creek Trail.