Date Hiked: October 22, 2023

Distance: 2 mi (RT)

Elevation Gain: Minimal

Elevation Min/Max: 5,350 ft

Trailhead Lat/Long:

Managing Agency: City of Wheat Ridge

Fee: None

Directions:

From I-70, exit onto Kipling Street and head south.  The trailhead is a quarter mile south of West 44th Ave on the west side of Kipling.  As an alternative, turn right (west) on 41st Street and take it to the Miller Trailhead.  This trailhead starts in the cottonwood forest.

Hike Description:

The Clear Creek Trail and the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt is a tremendous resource for the West Denver Suburbs.  The trails provide opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and all sorts of playtime in the creek.  The trail connects parks along the way and provides a corridor of nature that is much needed these days.  

One of the prettiest portions of this area is the segment that starts at Kipling Street and extends west to Prospect Park and beyond to West and Bass Lakes.  South of Clear Creek, the Clear Creek Trail consists of a level dirt path, but there are whole systems of narrow natural surface paths that provide quiet hiking through pristine cottonwood forests.  This area is beautiful all year round but really pops in the fall. If you are lucky enough to live in the Wheat Ridge or Lakewood areas, this should be a common component of your mental and physical health routine.  

From the trailhead and parking area on Kipling Street, the trail (paved in this part) heads west across an open meadow but soon enters the cottonwoods.  At about half a mile, the trail meets a bridge crossing to the northern shores of Clear Creek.  Rather than crossing the bridge, continue west along the southern shores on a narrow path, this is where the loop begins.  You can follow this trail for another half a mile to a cascading waterfall, a popular spot for kids of all ages, and another bridge crossing the creek.  At this point you can either cross the creek and return along the paved Clear Creek Trail, or stay on the south side, turn left, and follow the dirt Clear Creek Trail back.  I suggest staying south, there are additional smaller trails that branch off of the CCT in this area and you can explore these trails to make various loops through this area.  They all eventually return you to the first bridge and the paved trail back to Kipling Street.