Bear Creek Trail Improvements

Bear Creek Trail Improvements in Bear Creek Lake Park

Portions of the popular Bear Creek Trail in Bear Creek Lake Park will be improved in 2026! Construction including concrete repairs for phase two of this project are set to occur from Jan. 17 to Feb. 7, weather dependent. Detours are in place, for your safety, follow posted signage. Thank you to our partners at Jefferson County Parks and Open Space for supporting this project through the JCPOS Trails Partnership Program.

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2025 Colorado Lottery People's Choice Award Winner!

The Bear Creek Trail project is one of 14 projects in the state to receive the 2025 Colorado Lottery Starburst Award and is the winner of the 2025 People Choice Award! Thank you for your support of this important Lakewood connection.

Vote for Bear Creek Trail


2025 Colorado Lottery Starburst Award Winner!!

Great News! Lakewood's Bear Creek Trail improvement project is a winner of the 2025 Colorado Lottery Starburst Award. The Starburst Award recognizes excellence in the utilization of Lottery funds for community and conservation projects. The award highlights outstanding projects that have been funded through Lottery proceeds, showcasing the positive impact these projects have on communities across the state.

Project Background

The Bear Creek Trail is located within the Bear Creek Greenbelt, a 350-acre open space park on the south side of the city. Bear Creek runs through the property and is a mature riparian ecosystem that attracts wildlife and provides an ideal outdoor recreation and open space area. The trail is approximately seven miles in length beginning near C-470 and Morrison Road and extending east to Wadsworth Boulevard and Denver.

An extremely popular regional trail connection and a green way across the city, the trail receives a lot of use. Trail use data shows over 450,000 people use this trail and open space area each year for walking, hiking, biking, fishing and other forms of non-motorized transportation and recreational uses. The attraction of a diverse range of user groups has led to increasing conflicts in recent years, which the city has been working to address.

Watch a timelapse video of one of three pedestrian bridge installations to improve the Bear Creek Trail for all users. The new multi-use trail, soft-surface parallel trail, and bridge replacements were completed in 2023 with new restroom facilities added in 2025. This bridge weighs 43,000 pounds!

Project Details

Specifically, the Bear Creek Trail project entails the installation of over 12,000 linear feet of 3-6 foot wide soft surface trail that would roughly parallel the existing concrete path through the Bear Creek Greenbelt. The purpose of this trail would be to help alleviate congestion along the existing trail by providing an alternative natural surface trail for walkers and runners. In addition to the soft surface trail construction, sections of the existing trail would be removed and replaced. Improvements would be made to the concrete trail by widening sections to 10 feet when feasible, by softening trail curves to extend sight lines and replacing damaged concrete to mitigate hazards. Engineering studies were conducted in 2020 to consider how to appropriately address high-conflict areas to devise alternative solutions. Learn more in the Bear Creek Trail section beginning on page 26 of the City of Lakewood Trail and Connectivity Assessment Report.

All proposed trail improvements have been included to create a welcoming trail experience for all visitors and user groups. Use the tools below to provide feedback on the project and share additional ideas for future amenities as funding allows. Subscribe to this page for project notifications when new information is available.