High Line Canal Trail Improvements

Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) has begun a redesign of Skeel Reservoir located in the southeast corner of the Wellshire Golf Course adjacent to the High Line Canal. The reservoir is no longer used to irrigate the golf course, and the existing earthen dam is considered a high-risk dam according to the State Engineer’s Office.

The goal of the project is to decommission the dam and convert the area to a 100-year stormwater detention pond with stormwater quality control. The project will significantly reduce the risk of flooding to downstream properties, protect human health, and help deliver cleaner stormwater to Denver waterways. Project upgrades will include site grading to provide a safe and operational golf driving range, as well as new inlets in the driving range area to capture local runoff and route it to the existing storm sewer system instead of allowing it to flow across the golf course fairways.

The Conservancy is partnering closely with neighbors along the Colfax corridor to design access, activation, and amenity improvements. The current designs include an overlook at Granby Ditch, an outdoor classroom by Laredo Elementary school, an overlook at the Canal’s juncture with Star K Ranch, and three accessible access points to the Canal. These community-centered designs were completed in 2026.

The Triple Creek Trailhead was completed in 2019, establishing a connection between the High Line Canal Trail and the Triple Creek trail system. With funding from the GOCO Centennial grant program, the Conservancy is partnering with the City of Aurora to complete the second phase of the 2016 master plan, implementing a bike skills course, a shade structure, soft-surface pathways, and interpretive signage at the trailhead. Public Art will also be installed through the City of Aurora Library and Cultural Services department. Construction is anticipated in 2026.

The Conservancy and South Suburban Park and Recreation District (SSPRD) are partnering to plant a pollinator garden along the Canal on the west side of deKoevend Park. This landscape enhancement will increase biodiversity on the Canal and create a place to pause and connect with nature between the Canal and Big Dry Creek. New irrigation and planting beds were installed in Fall 2025 and pollinator plants will be planted in Fall 2026.

As a part of the Santa Fe Drive/Highway 85 widening project, Douglas County signed a license agreement with Denver Water to formalize the discharge of stormwater into the Canal at Spring Gulch. Stormwater runoff from the highway improvement project is now pretreated before being discharged through an existing 72-inch storm sewer pipe that flows into the Canal. Douglas County has also taken responsibility for maintaining and managing this portion of the Canal to ensure the safe passage of stormwater.

Solstice is a new residential development in Douglas County just south of Chatfield State Park. The Canal runs through the development and the developer has pulled back the banks of the Canal to convey stormwater. The developer is featuring the Canal at the center of the development, incorporating the Canal corridor into the 37-acre Solstice Park that will expand the size of the open space on either side of the Canal. The developer has planted trees to reestablish vegetation in the area, leveraging the additional stormwater that will make its way to the Canal. Construction of the stormwater infrastructure has been completed and while construction of the linear park is still in progress, the High Line Canal trail is open to the public. Visit our blog for more information.

Image credit: Solstice

In 2020, Aurora was the first jurisdiction to install portions of the newly designed High Line Canal sign package. In 2021, an additional 20 signs were installed as implementation of the sign package continued. In 2022, over 150 wayfinding signs will be installed across the Canal to build awareness, improve access and connect users to new parts of the trail. These new signs will include crossing signs that identify street crossings, wayfinding signs to help connect to destinations along the trail and kiosks with maps to help orient users and inform them about rules of the trail.

The City of Aurora partnered with the Conservancy and Arapahoe County Open Spaces to construct a pedestrian bridge where 8th Ave dead-ends into the Canal in the Laredo Highline neighborhood. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026.

The High Line Canal Conservancy and City and County of Denver have designed an enhanced trail surface for the Canal that includes a 12’ concrete trail with a 6’ gravel side path. This trail profile was developed for the reaches of the Canal in southeast and east Denver as well as unincorporated Arapahoe County. The City and County of Denver began construction on the segments of the Canal in the Windsor neighborhood of east Denver, from Parker Road to Havana Street in July 2026.

Learn more from City & County of Denver.

Douglas County and the Conservancy have partnered to design enhancements to The High Line Canal Origin Trailhead, located along Waterton Rd near the start of the Canal. The design includes improvements to the trailhead and connection to the Canal Trail as well as an overlook and shelter with interpretive signage to share the story of the Canal’s origins. This trailhead is intended to be an interpretive hub, educating trail users about the Canal’s unique history and connection to water in the West. Construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2026.