In my quest to walk the Platte River Trail from the North of Denver south to potentially Chatfield Reservoir, I set on my next five mil out-and-back journey. My previous walk to me north to Confluence Park from Frog Hollow. This time I decided to walk south to Confluence Park from Globeville Park.
I expected it would be easier to find parking near Globeville than to find near downtown Denver, though REI which is next to Confluence Park does allow two hours free. Since my five-mile walk took just under 1.5 hours, I could have started at Confluence Park, but had something really interested me, I didn’t want to get caught over the time limit.
Globeville and REI Parking
Surprisingly, on a mid-morning weekday, the parking at Globeville was extremely crowded. I think there might be a nearby light rail stop. Fortunately, I found a spot, but when I returned, cars were double parked. If someone were parked behind me, I would have really flipped out. I already had to ask the movers from next door to stop blocking my driveway this morning.
And this past week I had to tell the radon workers as well as a few others to pull up. Apparently, drivers ed no longer teaches the law that parking within three feet of a driveway is illegal, much less parking within the curved area or simply blocking it altogether.
That, or there are a lot of inconsiderate people in the world. Perhaps if I hit their car, since they are required to pay for the damage, they’d be more polite or cognizant in the future. But, I digress. My point is, for two-hour parking or less, on a weekday it actually might be easier to park at REI.
The Walk
But, as I mentioned above, I started out at Globeville Park and headed south. I’d like to say I enjoyed this walk, but in reality, it wasn’t my favorite. I must have been spoiled by my last few walks where I learned a bunch of history. On this walk, I didn’t see any history placards. Additionally, there were lots of geese on the trail, more dog walkers than normal, and several homeless people.
None of this worked out well for my dog, Annie. And it certainly didn’t help that I forgot her gentle lead and had to walk her with just her regular collar. She lunged at the geese, and her hyper-sensitivity coupled with many people and dogs around made her very excited.
Furthermore, I didn’t find this section of the river particularly pretty. At least for the first half of my walk, the most exciting thing I saw was a scooter in a tree and a wooden cross.
Parks Along the Way
The second half of the walk is more interesting. It features many bridges and some side trails which lead to different parks. A greenspace across the river on the West side is City of Cuernavaca Park.
On the East side of the river is the Skate Park as well as Commons Park. You can’t really see the Skate Park from below, so just know it is there if you want to watch kids do their tricks. The Commons Park is a nice space with some rock art sculptures. The well-maintained grassy area would be a nice place for a picnic.
Platte River and Cherry Creek Convergence
Soon after Commons Park, the South Platte River and Cherry Creek converge. Here, there is a selection of street art which is fun to see. The Cherry Creek Trail and the Platte River Trail also converge. Walkers on the Platte River Trail must veer up to the left and cross the bridge in order to reach Confluence Park. And to continue south on the Platte River Trail, walkers must cross the next bridge toward REI and walk on the West side of the river.
I turned around at the convergence, retraced my steps, and tried to keep the geese safe from Annie. Boy does she have a prey drive. As always, it is nice to get out for a walk, but so far I have liked the other sections of the Platte River Trail I’ve walked more. ETB
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Good post. I especially love the geese under the bridge — amazing palette of soft color with those lines.
Thanks. I got lucky with the lighting!
Love that wall!
Thank you!
Speer Boulevard bike path to Confluence Park was a favorite bike route when I lived in Denver. Nice to see some new artwork in the area in your photos.