Cherry Creek State Park

Cherry Creek State Park
Map showing the location of Cherry Creek State Park
Location Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA
Nearest city Aurora, CO
Coordinates 39°37′50″N 104°50′45″W / 39.63056°N 104.84583°W / 39.63056; -104.84583Coordinates: 39°37′50″N 104°50′45″W / 39.63056°N 104.84583°W / 39.63056; -104.84583
Area 3,346 acres (13.54 km2)
Established 1959
Governing body Colorado State Parks
Cherry Creek Dam and reservoir. View is to the south.
Dam wall
Wildlife in state park

Cherry Creek State Park is a state park in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The park consists of a natural prairie environment with an 880-acre (3.6 km2) reservoir at its center which is shared by powerboats, sailboats, and paddle craft. The Cherry Creek Marina and Yacht Club offers mooring and catered events on the north-western shore.[1] A large imported-sand swim beach is situated on the north-eastern side along with ample parking. The park has 12 miles (19 km) of paved roads and 35 miles (56 km) of multi-use trails open to runners, cyclists, and horseback riders. There are facilities for camping, radio-controlled aircraft, picnicking, as well as opportunities for bird watching, cross country skiing, and fishing. The park also contains an outdoor shooting range.[2]

Wildlife

More than 40 mammal species roam through the park, including eastern cottontail rabbit, coyote, beaver, muskrat, raccoon, weasel, ground squirrel, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and scampering black-tailed prairie dogs.

History

On August 15, 1993, Cherry Creek State Park was the location for the papal mass of the 8th World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II. The event brought an estimated 500,000 people to the site.[3]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 21, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.