October 16-21, 2022

CHERRY CREEK STATE PARK

4201 S Parker Rd, Aurora, CO 80014

“Cherry Creek State Park is a state park in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park consists of a natural prairie and wetland environment with an 880-acre reservoir at its center which is shared by powerboats, sailboats, and paddle craft.” - Wikipedia

My Denver friends recommended I try to stay at this state park while in Denver.  When I started making plans for coming out here I checked out the park’s website and reservation system and had difficulty finding any open spots for more than one or two nights.  I honestly made arrangements for beginning my trip to Colorado based on when I could get four consecutive nights in the Cherry Creek Campground.

When I arrived at the campground I was amazed.  The full-hookup campsites have level concrete slabs to park your RV on.  The pea gravel patio with picnic table and fire pit had been raked clean before my arrival.  After setting up I had to go to the office to purchase a Colorado State Park Pass, and I found the staff to be very friendly. 

When I finally got a chance to explore the rest of the park, I discovered an amazing reservoir surrounds by prairie and wetland areas filled with wildlife.  In my short, two-hour, exploration I saw Canadian Geese, White Pelicans, Red-Tailed Hawks, White-Tailed Deer, and Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs.  There are many miles of hiking/biking trails, which were very busy on the warm fall day.  I stopped at the model airplane flying area to watch some hobbyists fly their planes, which took me back to my childhood and the family friend who used to fly model planes.

The park is less than 30-minutes away from any of the sites I wanted to see in Denver.  I now understand why it was so hard to find a reservation in their campground.  When I return to Denver, I will try to plan far enough in advance to get a spot at Cherry Hill State Park Campground and will plan on spending more time exploring the park.