SAND CREEK REGIONAL GREENWAY
The Sand Creek Regional Greenway is a nearly 13-mile public trail and natural area located in the northeast Denver metro area. The Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 2000 and tasked with protecting, maintaining, and enhancing the Sand Creek Regional Greenway. Since our establishment in 2000, we have helped to raise over $20 million for green infrastructure and trail development for the Sand Creek Regional Greenway and its tributaries.
Looking towards the future of the Sand Creek Regional Greenway, we are eager to continue to enhance this tremendous natural resource while emphasizing our three pillars of equitable access, awareness, and engagement for all members of the Sand Creek Regional Greenway’s diverse communities. While we maintain the essential spirit of those innovative visionaries, who started our work, we are now grounded in an urban community that calls upon us to do more and widen our network.
1991
The idea of a regional greenway corridor along Sand Creek to link the High Line Canal in Aurora with the South Platte River Greenway in Commerce City was first described in 1991 in the Emerald Strands Plan. This multi-jurisdictional planning project consisted of the cities of Aurora, Denver, and Commerce City, as well as Adams and Arapahoe counties.
1993
In 1993, the Stapleton Redevelopment Foundation commissioned a concept plan for the Emerald Strands committee, which described the opportunities for and constraints on a Sand Creek greenway.
1994
In 1994, four of the original partners convened, encouraged by Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO).
1996
Grants from GOCO and the US Environmental Protection Agency supported a year-long master planning effort for the Sand Creek Regional Greenway.
1997
In 1997, a community steering committee was formed, comprised of council members from Aurora, Commerce City and Denver; representatives of neighborhood associations in partner cities; environmental groups; non-profit organizations; and interested individuals. GOCO designated the Sand Creek Regional Greenway as a Legacy Project and awarded $1.75 million in funding for land acquisition and trail construction.
1998
In the summer of 1998, a workshop was held to discuss options for an appropriate organizational structure to support the development of the greenway.
1999
An Executive Director was hired, and work starts to get the Greenway recognized as a 501c3 nonprofit in March.
2000
Sand Creek is recognized as a 501c3 nonprofit by the IRS, now led by an Executive Director and Board of Directors.
2002
The Greenway formally opens to the public. The Morrison Trust Grant is received in December 2002.
2003-2010
A period of growth as major segments and features of the Greenway open, including Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch and Sand Creek Park in Aurora as well as Dahlia trailhead in Commerce City.
2011
A flash flood washes away many trails, benches, and historical monuments.
2012
Four parks are open; Pepper Riparian Area, Wetland Park in Commerce City, Sand Creek Park, and Star K Ranch in Aurora.
2013-2016
Though high-water incidents impacted the Greenway throughout its development, significant floods in 2013 and 2015 focused the organization’s work on raising funds and facilitating projects to repair damage from high water. Volunteers worked many hours to restore the Greenway.
In February of 2013, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood joined Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and SCRGP Executive Director Kate Kramer to cut the ribbon on the first section of the Rocky Mountain Greenway. The ribbon cutting for the final section was held in 2015.
August 2016 the Westerly Creek North Park opens and links the SCRG across Central Park!
2017-2019
Sand Creek launches new environmental education programs for underserved youth as part of GOCO’s Generation Wild Northeast Metro Coalition to include new volunteer opportunities such as civic science and public and private volunteer events.
2020
Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership celebrates its 20th anniversary as a nonprofit organization with a mural featuring the wildlife and riparian habitat of our Sand Creek Greenway corridor.
2021
In May, Denver broke ground on a long-anticipated paving project. This is an enhancement that was outlined in the city’s master plan for the Greenway in 2016. This project will allow trail users to enjoy a paved Sand Creek trail starting directly in front of the Bluff Lake Nature Center in Denver and connecting to the South Platte in Commerce City.
2022
Stay Tuned!
Note: There are seven separate Sand Creeks in the state of Colorado. The Sand Creek that the Greenway runs along is not the same as the site of the Sand Creek Massacre. The site of the Sand Creek Massacre is 160 miles to the southeast of the Greenway, near the town of Eads. For more information about the Sand Creek Massacre and the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, visit the NPS website.