Washington Park

https://www.denvergov.org/Community/Parks-and-Public-Spaces/Parks-Directory/Washington-Park

Located a mile away from campus, Washington "Wash" Park is a great place to spend an afternoon.

Experience activities from lawn bowling to hiking trails, tennis courts, a baseball/ softball field, playgrounds, and even a bike skills course. Wash Park has much to discover.

If activities aren't your style, you can enjoy the many benches that overlook the pond or the flower garden.

Of course, there are even activities for your furry friends, whether that be frolicking through a stream or walking/ running beside you on the walking paths.

September 12, 2025

Trip one of six to Wash Park happened on a beautiful Friday morning. People were out and about. My friend, Peyton, and I took the 25-minute walk from Dimond to see people fishing in the pond, someone skiing on rollerblades with poles, a group of old people playing lawn bowling (we thought it was croquet at first), and lots of people walking their dogs. As we walked around part of the pond, we took in the sights and sounds of the geese, the beauty of the trees and flowers, and, of course, all the people out with their dogs.

September 19, 2025

Trip two of six to Wash Park was spent mostly in the flower garden. After another 25-minute walk to Wash Park with a friend, Piper, we observed the flowers in the garden. Using an app called PictureThis, we took photos of the different types of flowers and identified them. Walking through the garden, we made sure to pause and point out all of the things we found interesting, no matter their significance. I saw so many beautiful flowers that I would have missed had I just been on a walk in the park with my headphones in. Next, we walked around with the intent of finding some wildlife (not a very difficult task). As soon as we walked out of the garden, we saw geese and a man fishing in the pond.

Flora, Fauna, and Wildlife

Helianthus Annuus

The Common Sunflower

Antirrhinum Majus

Snapdragon

Marasmiaceae

Marasmiaceae Mushroom

Echunacea Purpurea

Purple Cornflower

Fish

A man fishing in the Wash Park pond was not something I expected to see at a local park in September.

Geese

One of the many gaggles of geese in one of the many grassy areas we saw this week.

Dogs

Not exactly the most wild animal, but we did see a lot of them.

The Kennedy Mountain Campus

October 10-12

Mr. Kennedy

"The Kennedy Mountain Campus was made possible by a generous gift from James C. Kennedy because he shared in the vision to add an intentional set of outdoor experiences."

History

DU acquired the Kennedy Mountain Campus from the Girl Scouts of Colorado. The property was formerly known as the Magic Sky Ranch. The Girl Scouts continue to lease a portion of the property during the summer months.

Class Connections

As we have been talking about in class, I made it a point to take time to stop and look, and listen to the world around me. As I watched the sun rise over a mountain, I heard the birds begin to chirp, and the world around me came alive. I made sure to put down my phone (after a quick picture) and intentionally sat and let my mind focus on how lucky I am to get to experience such a beautiful sight.

My Experiences

Rainbows

Via Ferrata

Sunrise Hike

From horseback riding, to seeing rainbows, to climbing the crest via ferrata, to a sunrise hike this weekend was amazing. I didn't necessarily conquer any fears, but worked on working through them. I have a fear of heights, but I didn't let that stop me from climbing the via ferrata, and I'm so glad I did. The views were amazing! Everything my friends and I did, ate, and experienced made me value my free time so much more than I already do. Spending time in nature away from all of the noise that comes with being on the main DU campus on the weekends, and disconnecting from technology was the perfect break. If I ever get a chance to go back to the mountain campus, I will definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

Stars

Music

Nature

Friends

October 19, 2025

Back to where it all began, but just a bit different.

This week, I headed back to Wash Park with my friend Peyton. It has been exactly one month since I have been back, and there have been a few changes since the last time we went to the park. The walk to the park was the same, as was the layout of the park, but the park itself looked and felt different. There were the obvious changes: the trees have started to change color, and the weather is cooler. Then there were the less obvious changes: there were fewer animals (at least that I saw), fewer families out and about, and no one was fishing or playing lawn bowling.

We sat on a bench for a while and observed the trees, the geese, the people passing by, and just relaxed. It was nice to take a break from the busyness of campus life to sit and relax on a bench in a park.

While walking around the park, Peyton and I saw signs for events the park is hosting. I also heard about events the park is hosting while I was at Hillel over the weekend.

The Future of Washington Park

Who knows the future of this park? As far as the seasons go, Wash Park will continue to change, to die and be reborn in the spring. People-wise, I predict that people will continue to enjoy the park year-round. From what I have observed about living in Colorado over these past two months, people like to be outside and will be outside as often as they can, no matter the weather.

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