Arapahoe County

Author(s): Andrew Spencer, Nathan Pieplow
County Seat: Littleton
County Size: 800 square miles
Low Elevation: 4,743 ft. - Beaver Creek on the Washington border
High Elevation : 6,210 ft. - Smoky Hill Ridge
Best Birds : Arctic Loon (2002), Wood Stork (1902), Black-headed Gull (1988)
Checklist : Download pdf | View HTML
Introduction: Like Adams County, its neighbor to the north, Arapahoe is a long, long rectangle whose western quarter is urban and whose eastern three quarters are nearly empty. Like in Adams, the undisputed crown jewel of birding sites in Arapahoe is one state park built around a large reservoir--in this case, Cherry Creek Reservoir.

Birding Locations

Deer Trail
Description - This little hamlet along I-70 can function as a decent migrant trap in season. The small cemetery, with its many medium-sized junipers, can be particularly good for sparrows in migration, mountain birds wandering down on the plains during migration and winter, and Cassin's Kingbird in late summer. Also look for migrants among the large shade trees in town, where Eurasian Collared-Dove is abundant.
Habitat - Urban/Suburban
Directions - Deer Trail is at I-70 exit 328. To get to the cemetery, turn north off the exit ramp and proceed straight ahead two hundred yards.
Delorme - 96 B1
Roads of Colorado - 75 D2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 77 D8
Cherry Creek State Park
Aliases - Cottonwood Creek
Description - Mention Arapahoe County to almost any birder in Colorado, and this is the site that comes to mind. It has a well-deserved place among the triumvirate of metro area reservoirs (along with Barr Lake and Chatfield). Cherry Creek's main strength seems to be gulls. Just about every species reported in the state has been seen here, many of them more than once. Large flocks of waterbirds often grace the lake, and uncommon and rare species such as Long-tailed Duck, all three scoters, Red-throated Loon and Red-necked Grebe occur with some frequency. Super rarities that Cherry Creek has to its name include Arctic Loon, Iceland, Little, Glaucous-winged, and Great Black-backed Gulls, and Golden-crowned Sparrow.
There are two entrances into Cherry Creek. By far the more often used is the west entrance, so this description will go around the lake starting from there. As you drive in from the west entrance you will pass through some good grassland that has Swainson's Hawk during the summer, and Northern Shrike and Harlan's Hawk during the winter. Also keep an eye out for Rough-legged Hawk. Before long the road will come to the marina at the NW corner of the lake. This is often a great spot to scan gull flocks, especially early in the morning when they sometimes roost on the docks. The water around here is often some of the last to freeze (at least near shore), and can be a good place to look for ducks in the late fall. It is also the only good vantage point for this whole quadrant of the lake.
From the marina a loop road goes all the way around the lake to the NE corner. Following this road south you will pass through tons of good grassland on the right, and the tree-ringed reservoir on the left. The first two loops you come to on the left go to good vantage points for the west side of the lake, and to some small stands of trees that rarely have much in them. The next loop to the south is the Cottonwood Creek Loop. This loop ends at a trailhead that provides access to a myriad of trails in the SW portion of the park. One trail goes down to a viewing platform on the lake edge, where you can scan much of the south end of the lake, as well as the extensive cattail marshes. This end of the lake often has large flocks of dabblers, and, when the water is low, shorebirds.
Also leaving from this trailhead are some trails heading into the woods to the south. The trail first crosses Cottonwood Creek, which can be a great spot to look for migrants, Marsh Wren, and occasionally rails. The woods to the south and east of here rarely get much birding attention, but are of very high quality. Covering them can take some time, but would probably be well worth it. The habitat in here is particularly good for Winter Wrens, and this author has seen them there more than once.
Back where the main road around the reservoir crosses Cottonwood Creek there is a decent sized wetland that seems to be somewhat reliable for Green Heron, and would be a spot to look for other waders and shorebirds. The loop road continues south and east from here, through more grassland (with all the same species mentioned above). Ring-necked Pheasant seems especially reliable along this stretch. Short afterwards, the road crosses over Cherry Creek, and the associated thick riparian corridor. This is a good spot to look for landbirds, ducks on the small ponds, and snipe in the wetlands.
From here the road bends back north. Shortly after the creek crossing you can turn right towards another trailhead, where yet another myriad of trails heads south along Cherry Creek. By following these trails one can access more prairie, some excellent wetlands with rails, ducks, snipe, and others, and even more excellent riparian. This area of Cherry Creek doesn't receive much coverage, which is a true shame given its potential.
Continuing along to the north, the road reaches a split. Go right to reach the east entrance and most of the east end of the park, and go left to head towards the east boat ramp. From here you can drive right up to and along the water, providing excellent views of any gull flocks in the area, and ducks and other waterbirds on the lake. The gull viewing can be especially good here when the south end of the lake is frozen and the gulls are perched on the edge of the ice.
Heading back towards the eastern entrance, pass the split from the south end of the park, and continue east and north. Turn left at the next turn to head the NE part of the park, or go straight to exit the park via the eastern entrance. Continuing north into the park, you will pass a couple of small parking spots on the left that access some weedy gullies that can be good for sparrows (Harris' Sparrow has shown up more than once), and then the campground on the right. The riparian areas here can be good for landbirds, including warblers in migration and sparrows during the fall and winter.
Just past the campground you can turn left for the swim beach, which provides another good vantage point for the lake, and the best for scanning the NW corner. This is often the best spot to scan for divers, which like the deeper portions of the lake nearer the dam. Gull watching can sometimes be good from here, though it is generally better from the SW corner. Also be sure to check the trees around the swim beach parking area. They may not look like much, but for some reason migrants concentrate here, especially in the locust grove by the bathrooms. A system of trails winds through some of the thicker growth, and to a small pond, where you could find more migrants, dabblers, and the occasional Black-crowned Night-Heron or Green Heron.
URL - Cherry Creek State Park
Habitat - Reservoir, Lowland Riparian, Grassland/Prairie
Directions - Cherry Creek has two entrances, the main entrance on the eastern side of the lake, and a smaller side entrance on the western side. To get to the eastern entrance, take Parker Road south from I-225 for almost 2 miles to the entrance, on the right. To get to the west entrance, take Yosemite St south from I-225 for half a mile, and turn left onto Union Ave. Take Union Ave east for less than half a mile, take a right onto Dayton St, than an immediate left into the western entrance to the park. Note that Cherry Creek Reservoir has a small extra fee for entrance on top of the normal state parks fee, so even if you have a state parks annual pass, you still need to shell out a couple extra dollars here.
Delorme - 40 C3-D3, 41 C4-D4
Roads of Colorado - 73 E2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D11
McLellan Reservoir
Description - This small reservoir can only be birded from County Line Road, or by walking the Highline Canal trail along the north end of the lake and scanning through the trees. It could host almost any duck, and might have shorebirds when the water is low. Surprises like Red-throated Loon, Black Scoter and Pomarine Jaeger have been reported here. Almost the entirety of the lake is in Arapahoe County, except for a tiny sliver where County Line Road bends to the south. (Note: covered in Douglas County)
Habitat - Reservoir
Directions - Note: parking to view this reservoir is along the busy County Line Road, which has wide shoulders and a wide pullout at the west end of the reservoir. Take the Lucent Blvd exit off of C-470 and head south north from the exit ramp. Take Lucent to a "T" with County Line Road, and take a left. Pullout in any wide spot along County Line to scan the reservoir, on the north side of the road.
Delorme - 40 D2
Roads of Colorado - 73 D3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 E9
Aurora Reservoir
Description - (submitted by Glenn Walbek) Aurora Reservoir in Arapahoe County is one of a few Front Range reservoirs surrounded by prairie grassland. It sits about 9 miles east of Cherry Creek Reservoir, well away from the urban sights and sounds of Denver. This slight distance makes Aurora Reservoir a reliable site for Snow and Ross's Geese, birds that can be difficult to encounter closer to town. Aurora Reservoir can host a good variety of water birds in the fall and winter, including the usual divers, swans, loons and even scoters. Shoreline is not expansive but can attract migrant shorebirds, with the south shore being best. Gulls and terns are varied and reliable, with many birds sharing time with nearby Quincy and Cherry Creek reservoirs. The park does not hold many trees so passerines are not abundant, but grassland sparrows and raptors add to the good numbers of water birds, making Aurora Reservoir worth a visit.

Aurora Reservoir is not part of the State Park System, so your annual Parks Pass will do you no good here. The city of Aurora charges $10 for a day pass and $55 for an annual pass.
Habitat - Reservoir, Lowland Riparian, Grassland/Prairie
Directions - Take E-470 to the Quincy Ave exit (or, alternatively for those who don't want to pay tolls on E-470, take I-225 to Parker Rd, and then Parker Rd south to Quincy Ave). Head east on Quincy Ave for 2 miles to Powhaton Rd, and the entrance to Aurora Reservoir, on the right.
Delorme - 41 D5
Roads of Colorado - 73 F2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 76 D1
Quincy Reservoir
Description - There is a fee to access this body of water, which rarely has much of interest, but may be worth a check for ducks and swallows in season. Some surrounding trees may have migrant passerines. The reservoir itself closes for the winter season, but can be scoped at that time (or any other time of year) from a distance outside the fence. Given its close proximity to Cherry Creek and Aurora Reservoirs, any truant rarities from those locations could be hiding here.
Habitat - Reservoir, Lowland Riparian
Directions - Take I-225 to Parker Road, and head south on Parker Road to Quincy Ave. Take Quincy Ave east from Parker road for 3.5 miles to the reservoir, on the right.
Delorme - 41 D4
Roads of Colorado - 73 E2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D11-D12
Ketring Pond
Aliases - Littleton Historic Park
Description - This small pond in Littleton Historic Park usually holds many ducks, including abundant Wood Ducks, and many exotics such as Mandarin and Mute Swan. Goodies such as Barrow's Goldeneye and Greater Scaup have been seen here. Birding the trees around the pond may be worthwhile.
Habitat - Pond, Park
Directions - Take the Broadway exit off of C-470 and head north for 3 miles to Caley Ave. Turn left (west) onto Caley and go to your sixth right (Lakeview St.) and head north. Follow Lakeview St around the bend and to a small parking lot by the lake. Another parking area can be reached by continuing on Caley Ave to your next right (Gallup St) and taking a right. Follow Gallup north to the parking lot, on the right.
Delorme - 40 D3
Roads of Colorado - 73 D3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D9
Coal Creek Arena
Aliases - Coal Creek Arena, Environmental Camp
Description - The finest patch of riparian habitat along the Sand Creek Greenway is south of Colfax in Arapahoe County. The Aurora Sports Park, just to the north, provides parking and access to the trees on the north side of the creek, as well as a small pond that might attract waterfowl or gulls when not overrun by youth athletics. As of this writing (2005) the planned trail on the north side of the creek has not yet been constructed, so the woods are still relatively untraveled, at least on weekdays. The existing trail on the south side of the creek, best accessed from the Clear Creek Arena, generally stays well away from the trees, but you don't have to. This trail runs through the city of Aurora's Environmental Camp. The parcel of bottomland forest immediately north of the Arena is private property, but the owner allows access for wildlife viewing. Please respect this property, and close all gates.
Habitat - Lowland Riparian, Stream
Directions - To the Aurora Sports Park: From I-70, head south on Tower Road from exit (#286). Turn left (east) onto Colfax Avenue, then right (south) onto Dunkirk at the first stoplight. This is the access road for the park. To the Clear Creek Arena: Take exit 288 off I-70 and take Piccadilly Road south two miles to an angled intersection with CO 30 (East 6th Avenue). Turn hard right (northwest). The Clear Creek Arena is on the north side of the road.
Delorme - 41 C4
Roads of Colorado - 73 E2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 C12
South Platte Park
Description - This little gem of a park is seldom covered except by a few local birders, and has lots of untapped potential. The main draw here for most birders is the series of small to medium sized ponds that often play host to large rafts of ducks, including rarities such as Long-tailed Duck and a hybrid Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser that has patronized the area for a few years. Occasionally these same lakes also hold gulls or shorebirds. There is also a good-sized marsh with a viewing blind that can have rails, Marsh Wren, and maybe even a Bittern. The riparian corridor along the South Platte River is nothing to be scoffed at, either. It is certainly worth a look for migrants, sparrow flocks during the winter, and breeding species that can include American Redstart and Least Flycatcher during the summer. Finally, to top it all off, there are a couple of patches of grasslands that hold a few breeding prairie species, including Vesper Sparrow.
Habitat - Lowland Riparian, Pond, Marsh
Directions - Take the Santa Fe exit off of C-470 and head north on Santa Fe for one mile to Mineral Ave. Take a left onto Mineral and then your first right onto the Platte River Pkwy. Go past the large park-and-ride to the Carson Nature Center and the parking lot for South Platte Park.
Delorme - 40 D2
Roads of Colorado - 72 C3, 73 D3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D9-E9
High Line Canal (Arapahoe County portion)
Aliases - Dekoevend Park
Description - The High Line Canal trail is a very long bike trail that follows most of this large canal through Denver, mostly along the thick riparian corridor that lines the canal. The portion in Centennial and Englewood is no exception, and provides access to tons of top quality riparian with good undergrowth, some grassland, and even a few ponds. Look here for migrants in season, sparrows during migration and winter, and breeding species including Eastern Screech-Owl. The ponds usually have nothing more than a few dabblers, but who knows what could show up? The best portions are just south of Dekoevend Park, which itself consists mostly of a large playing field.
Habitat - Lowland Riparian, Pond
Directions - To get to Dekoevend Park and the South Suburban Rec center, take the University exit off of C-470 and head north for a little over 2 miles to the entrance for the park and Rec. center, on the left. See the Denver County page for more access points onto the canal, from where you can bike or walk into Arapahoe County.
Delorme - 40 D3
Roads of Colorado - 73 D3-E3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D10
Utah Park
Aliases - Jewell Wetland
Description - This small park with its tiny pond may not look like much, but as a Brant that showed up here one winter shows, looks can be deceiving. Don't come here expecting any such rarities, though. More typical residents include some dabblers and geese, but little else.

Just east of Utah Park is the Jewell Wetland, which has a boardwalk through a small wetland and some decent stands of deciduous trees.
Habitat - Park, Pond, Marsh, Lowland Riparian
Directions - Take the Iliff Ave exit off of I-225 and head west for one mile to Peoria St. Head north on Peoria St. for a little over a half-mile, over Jewell Ave, to the entrance to the park, on your right. The Jewell Wetland is just east of Utah on Jewell.
Delorme - 41 C4
Roads of Colorado - 73 E2
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 C11
Bowles Grove Park
Description - This small and unfortunately noisy park has a nice-looking riparian tangle around the small pond and along the inlet canal that looks excellent for migrants. Given its location next to two busy roads, the best time to visit may be on a Sunday morning. Two medium-sized ponds to the east across Federal could be good for ducks during the colder months, but during other times of year their use as a golfing pond clear them of all ducks except those with a death wish.
Habitat - Pond, Park, Lowland Riparian
Directions - Take the Santa Fe exit off of C-470 and head north on Santa Fe for 3.5 miles to Bowles Ave. Take a left onto Bowles and head west across the South Platte River and take your first right over the river onto Federal Blvd. The entrance to the park is on your left almost immediately after turning onto Federal.
Delorme - 40 D2
Roads of Colorado - 73 D3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D9
Centennial Park
Description - This medium sized pond is probably the best pond for waterbirds in the area. Large flocks of dabblers and divers can be found here during the colder months, and keep an eye out for grebes and maybe even the stray loon or two. Gull flocks could potentially hold an interesting species or two during the winter, and who knows what rarity could show up at this seldom-birded location.
Habitat - Pond, Park
Directions - Take the Santa Fe exit off of C-470 and head north on Santa Fe for 5 miles to Union Ave. Take a left onto Union Ave and head across the South Platte River to Decatur St in 0.8 miles. If you reach Federal Blvd you have gone too far. Turn right onto Decatur and head north to the parking lot for the park, on the right.
Delorme - 40 D2
Roads of Colorado - 73 D3
Colorado Roads & Recreation - 75 D9