We have found that the best outdoor activities in downtown Denver for mobility aren’t that far from the urban center. Here are some things that you can do outdoors without leaving the city center, or a quick bus ride away. All RTD busses in Denver are accessible for mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and crutches.
Being an urban environment, it’s just about impossible to find outdoor things to do that aren’t paved, but there is one on this list.
16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall is a one mile, fully paved pedestrian walkway that traverses Downtown Denver, from East to West. It is lined with historic buildings, outdoor cafes, skyscrapers, shops, retail stores, and restaurants. There are plenty of places to rest, people watch, and get as much exercise as you can handle in our 300+ days of sunshine. Don’t worry about going too far in one direction. You can always take the Free Mall Bus back to your starting place. Parking includes on-street metered parking and parking garages. The garages have more availability for reserved and van accessible parking, but sometimes you can get lucky. One thing to remember, all parking meters in Denver are free if you have a disability license plate or placard.
City Park Perimeter Loop
City Park Perimeter Loop, obviously located with City Park, is a 330-acre park and a 3.8-mile loop in east-central Denver. The perimeter loop is hard dirt and mostly single track, and is good for walking, trail running, and hiking. For any sections that are blocked off to cars, it is also a good place to move on paved streets. City Park includes the Denver Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and IMAX, tennis courts, horseshoes, and beautiful gardens. There are parking lots with reserved and van accessible parking, but the “street” parking within the boundaries of the park doesn’t have any designations.
Denver Zoo
Denver Zoo is an 80-acre attraction housing fish, fowl, lions, tigers and bears, primates, and even some cute penguins. The zoo is 100% paved so you don’t have to worry about steady ground. A multi-level parking garage is available with plenty of reserved and van accessible parking.
Sloan’s Lake Park
Sloan’s Lake Park is a neighborhood and lake on Northwest Denver and is the 2nd largest park in Denver (behind City Park). There is a fully paved jogging, hiking, and bicycling path that surrounds the lake. Basketball and tennis courts are also housed within the park. There are ADA accessible fishing platforms, reserved and van accessible parking, and free on-street parking.
Have a great time with these and other activities around Downtown Denver to increase your mobility. Find more things to do (no matter your mobility) in Downtown Denver and around Colorado at Exploryst.com.
