Kountze Lake — Attraction in Lakewood

This place is a gem, a pocket of wilderness smack in the center of suburbia. When walking the dirt trails along the west-northwest side of the lake (between the ponds and the lake), you can almost forget that there’s condos 1/8 of a mile away. It can get relatively busy when the weather is nice although a majority of the foot traffic stays to the east side.

Concrete paths travel the perimeter of Belmar Park, with (more or less) maintained gravel & dirt walking trails meandering throughout. There are a number of benches throughout the area (most of which are unshaded but clean and in good repair.)

Most bridges and observation decks are in good enough shape—some of which are even reasonably new—although the larger and more heavily trafficked ones are beginning to show their age.

Anything with wide soft tires will have no problem navigating most surfaces. Strollers with larger wheels will probably be ok for the most part, but the travel/“umbrella” style with small plastic wheels should stick to the paved paths.

I don’t know which paths are technically classified as wheelchair accessible, but most surfaces could probably be traveled by the electric mobility vehicles that I’m aware of. Most hills are quite small in the immediate vicinity of the lake although elevation changes increase as you move south towards the Lakewood Heritage Center. Hand-powered wheelchairs may may become challenging for some users depending on the varying surfaces and conditions. Most main paths are about 3–4 people wide.

Dogs are welcome, as are horses (there are dedicated sections of trail for equestrian use with turned/prepped dirt, along with shared use portions.)

My preferred parking is the south end of the library lot (accessible via the W Virginia Ave traffic circle or the driveway off S Yarrow St) which is also recommended for anyone with limited mobility, but it’s not much further if you park at the Heritage Center lot (entrance at the intersection of W Ohio Ave &...

Kountze Lake is one of the best kept secrets near Denver! The lake is honestly one of my favorite to catch a sunset at and the park itself is beautiful. There's a wonderful bridge that makes it feel even more special in the fall when the leaves are changing. The sunsets perfectly over the rocky mountains and the viewpoint from here is outstanding. Some of my best sunset shots have come from here. It's a great...

Favorite walking spot for almost 40 years. Scenic if you like photography. And lots of birds. Sadly I'm developing some disabilities which prevent me from enjoying as much...