South Platte River

Photos: Top ten Colorado places to stay cool in a heat wave

Yesterday was a record-setting scorcher, and the forecasts we've seen predict temps in the nineties (with a few high eighties thrown in) for the next week or so. How to avoid melting? Last year, during a similar heat wave, we turned to our Best of Denver archive, which features more than twenty yea ... More >>

Ten places to ride your bike this summer

The wheels are always turning in Denver, which just won the REI Cycling Town Showdown as the country's bike-friendliest city. Denver not only has great places to ride your bike, it also has great places to ride your bike to. Here are ten of our favorites for this summer. See also: - Videos: Best b ... More >>

Ben Nighthorse Campbell plays Santa with U.S. Capitol Christmas tree

The country is swamped by devastation from Hurricane Sandy and the storm of the 2012 election, but it's still beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And who's the Santa hauling the 2012 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree -- -- "America's gift to the nation" -- to Washington, D.C.? Former Senator Ben Night ... More >>

Joe Shoemaker, R.I.P.: Greenway Foundation visionary's passing leaves a river of memories

A river of possibility runs through this city, and we have Joe Shoemaker to thank for that. Decades ago, he looked at the polluted mess that was then the South Platte River and he saw the potential to create an incredible amenity for Denver. From that vision came the Greenway Foundation, the organiz ... More >>

Coohills introduces Beats on the Creek summer concert series

Coohills, 1400 Wewatta Street, has launched a new summer concert series: Beats on the Creek will take place every Tuesday on the restaurant's patio -- and the adjacent bridge over Cherry Creek -- from 5 to 8:15 p.m. "We're thrilled to be offering lower downtown a concert series in an urban setting, ... More >>

Photos: 10 Best of Denver places to stay cool during a heat wave

In case you haven't noticed, it's been hellishly hot around here lately -- which naturally got us thinking about the best places to cool off in the Denver area and beyond. Fortunately, our Best of Denver archive features more than twenty years' worth of great ideas about pretty much everything under ... More >>

Taxi's Kyle Zeppelin wants to put the historic Dotsero Bridge in Denver

When the Colorado Department of Transportation put the historic Dotsero Bridge "up for adoption" in late April, the agency caught the attention of at least one person in Denver who just happens to be in the market for a cool bridge to span the South Platte River -- the subject of "Water World," this ... More >>

After ignoring the South Platte River for decades, Denver is once again panning for gold

Video: Take a fast-forward ride down the South Platte River trail

City fishin' in the South Platte River can only get better, says angler Will Rice

A Rollerblader will glide down the South Platte River Trail right by Will Rice and do a double-take, turn around, stop and approach the 39-year-old angler with curiosity. "Wow, you are fishing here?" he'll ask, wondering if Rice is a crazy person for wading into the river that snakes through downto ... More >>

Video: Take a fast-forward ride down the South Platte River trail

In this week's Westword cover story, "Water World," our editorial team covered significant events that have occurred along the South Platte River. We took a long cruise along the trail from Mississippi Avenue all the way up to 104th Avenue, passing by notable landmarks Confluence Park, Sports Author ... More >>

Lincoln Park asparagus is the crown jewel of Denver vegetables: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

​ Lincoln Park asparagus can be grown from seeds or crowns, but the latter method respects the prestige of Lincoln Park. Home to the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver Health Hospital, West High School, Xcel Energy Zuni Generation Station and the 105-year-old Buckhorn Exchange, Lincoln Park is the ... More >>

Denver Animal Shelter's new headquarters upgrades the experience of going to the dogs

​The massive Better Denver bonds project that voters approved in 2007 has resulted in one much better Denver Animal Shelter, replacing an almost forty-year-old pound that was definitely a dog. And when it celebrates its official opening tomorrow, it will also celebrate one of the city's great ... More >>

Valentine vandals reveal romantic commitment through crime: Kenny Be's Sign Language

Rober y Pango share a temporary love in College View.​ It is an established fact that love makes people act like fools. If the goo-goo eyes and baby talk weren't enough, fools in love often feel the need to broadcast their idiocy to others. The tools they use and the location of the valentine ... More >>

Jeff Shoemaker is a Wellshire neighborhood icon: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

Neighborhood Icon #9 of 76: Wellshire.​ This icon pictured above was inspired by the signage of a defunct restaurant housed in the clubhouse of a bankrupt country club from which the neighborhood got its name. It's a fitting homage to the regenerative character of Wellshire. This is a neighbor ... More >>

Today In Stoke: Ruby Hill Rail Yard ski and snowboard terrain park now open

Colin BaneOpening day at the Ruby Hill Rail Yard Terrain Park​Don't feel like sitting in ski traffic to ride the rails? The Ruby Hill Rail Yard Terrain Park at South Platte River Drive & Florida Avenue opened on Saturday with rails, slider boxes, jumps and open slopes for sledding and learning ... More >>

Today In Stoke: Ruby Hill begins snowmaking, set to open Rail Yard terrain park this month

Dave Watson Photography, courtesy Winter ParkSnowmaking under way at Ruby Hill's Rail Yard terrain park in Denver​Ruby Hill Rail Yard sponsors Winter Park Resort, Denver Parks and Recreation and Christy Sports took advantage of the new snow and cold temperatures this weekend to fire up the sno ... More >>

Drink of the Week: Orange Spiced Fizz at Green Russell

Elitch Gardens skeletons echo fire department's parking warning: Kenny Be's Sign Language

Denver Fire Department's No Parking Zone gets picked to the bones.​ From the angle in which the above photograph was taken, it appears that the hanging skeletons warn of dire consequences for scofflaws who disobey the Denver Fire Department's "no parking or storage allowed within 50 feet of th ... More >>

Confluence Park and other musings on water -- for free! No $300,000 for you, Scott McInnis

​Scott McInnis collected $300,000 for his "Musings on Water," but this one is free. Denver may be a landlocked city, but a river still runs through it -- and the transformation of the South Platte River from a stinky stream to a true urban amenity is one of this city's real success stories.

Wheels Along the Water

Burn calories and enjoy Denver's scenery at Pedal the Platte.

Delegating Denver #30 of 56: Montana

Rail Simple

The Ruby Hill Rail Yard returns for another year.

Mail-In Bullet

Talk about a gun nut! This write-in candidate should be written off.

Donald Lipski/Iron, Et Cetera/Susan Cooper

RiNo celebrates its first birthday, and Susan Cooper shows work that is both -- and neither -- painting and sculpture.

Foraging and Fine Dining

Gastronomic delights are lurking in your back yard.

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Best Quick Kayaking Fix

Confluence Kayaks

Wets Up?

Inflatable kayaking satisfies the urge to submerge

Pole Cats

Venice on the Creek lets you punt the Platte.

Best Getaway From 1.5 Million Chatfield Park Visitors

Waterton Canyon

Rox Off

Draining the last drop at Coors Field

A Tale of Two Cities

From a royal mess to a people's playground, Denver's parks grounded the Webb years.

Drink of the Week

Streetcar Named Desire

The Watermelon King

John Losasso's Italian roots go deep into Denver's history.

Best Riverfront

Central Platte Valley

The Platte Thickens

A river of controversy runs through it.

Smelter Skelter!

The lost town of Saxonia reemerges from the pages of history.

Best Local Float Trips

Flexible Flyers Rafting

Best Place for a Pagan Ritual

Commons Park

Best Way to See Water Being Used and Abused

South Platte River trail

Trickle-Down Economics

Out on the plains, water is Colorado's most liquid asset.

High and Dry

Even in the best of times, farmers and developers fight for Colorado's water. And this summer's drought is far from the best of times.

Best food at Six Flags Elitch Gardens

Pizza Alley

Best reuse of a sewage plant

Northside Park, Globeville

Night & Day

June 10 - 16, 1999

See What Develops

Line in Wait

A massive power line interferes with the city's Commons Park plans.

Dam the Creek. Full Speed Ahead.

Developers of Punt the Creek keep hoping their boat rides will catch on.

Homeless for the Holidays

Advice and Dissent

Does the city have to keep hiring the same big-bucks, well-connected lawyer as a consultant?