Date Hiked: October 25, 2026

Distance: 0.4 mi (RT)

Elevation Gain: Minimal

Elevation Min/Max: 5,244 to 5,278 ft

Trailhead Lat/Long: 39.81809, -104.82835

Managing Agency: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Fee: None

Directions:

From Denver, take I-70 east to the Quebec/Northfield Exit. Head North on Quebec and make a right onto Prairie Parkway (there are signs to the refuge). Turn left onto Gateway Road and enter the gates to the park. Follow this road but before you get to the Visitor's Center, turn right onto 6th Ave. Follow 6th Ave past Lake Ladora and turn right onto Potomac Street. The trailhead is about half a mile, on the left, just before you enter the one-way portion of Wildlife Drive.

Hike Description:

The Upper Derby Trail is a hike, but just barely. It’s a short and easy walk from the trailhead to a wildlife view blind at a (seasonally) dry lake. I include it here because, it is so freakin’ beautiful in late October. This is a great little hike if you want to immerse yourself in fall Cottonwood colors and even better if you don’t have a whole lot of time to do so. From the start, you are surrounded by a Cottonwoods on all sides. The view across the lake is also very scenic even if there is no water in the lakes.

This whole park is fire (as the kids say…) at the right time of October so I recommend doing some of the longer hikes in the park, such as the Lake Ladora Loop, and tacking on the Upper Derby as a bonus hike. You may see some wildlife along the way, but the fall colors are the real draw on this one.