Longmont, Colorado is a vibrant city located in Boulder County, approximately 30 miles north of Denver. Known for its beautiful Rocky Mountain views, craft beer scene, and abundance of parks and open spaces, Longmont offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation.
The city boasts over 60 parks ranging from small neighborhood playgrounds to large regional multi-use facilities, offering something for visitors of all ages. From manicured botanical gardens to nature preserves perfect for birdwatching, Longmont’s parks allow you to experience the beauty of Colorado right in the city.
In this article, we will highlight 12 fantastic parks in Longmont that should not be missed on your next visit. The parks on this list offer playgrounds, sports fields, walking trails, event spaces, and so much more. Read on to learn about the best parks Longmont has to offer!
St. Vrain Greenway
The St. Vrain Greenway is one of Longmont’s most popular parks thanks to its paved multi-use recreational path that stretches over 7 miles along the St. Vrain Creek. Perfect for walking, running, biking, and more, the Greenway connects over 20 neighborhoods and parks throughout the city. Visitors can spot native plants and wildlife alongside the creek as well as enjoy views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
Amenities include shaded seating areas, over 12 access points with parking, interpretive signs highlighting local history and ecology, and interactive art displays. Special events like races, festivals, and concerts also take place seasonally along the Greenway. With its combination of natural beauty and community connections, the St. Vrain Greenway is a must-visit park for Longmont visitors.
Thompson Park
Boasting over 93 acres of land, Thompson Park is one of Longmont’s largest community parks perfect for an afternoon outdoors. Activities include fishing in the 4-acre pond which is stocked seasonally with rainbow trout, playing a round at the 18-hole disc golf course, going for a jog on the extensive walking trails, or renting a private picnic shelter for a family gathering.
Other amenities include a playground, skate park, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and a dog park. Thompson Park has lighting on its walking paths, fields, and pond allowing for enjoyment even after the sun goes down. Views of Longs Peak and Mount Meeker make for a spectacular backdrop during your park visit as well. With so much to do, Thompson Park is a must for those looking to fully experience Longmont’s incredible parks.
Kanemoto Park
Known for its stunning cherry blossom trees, Kanemoto Park is located downtown along the St. Vrain Greenway making it accessible by bike or foot from nearby neighborhoods. Visitors flock to the park each spring when over 200 cherry blossom trees bloom pink and white flowers that gently fall to the ground attracting photographers from all over.
Even if you miss cherry blossom season, the lush green space, walking paths, and playground along with nearby restaurants and shops make Kanemoto Park worth a visit. Annual events held here include cherry blossom festivals, art fairs, and summer concerts.
Golden Ponds Park
Covering over 115 acres adjacent to the St. Vrain Greenway, Golden Ponds is one of Longmont’s newest parks. The park gets its name from several ponds supporting diverse aquatic habitat and fishing opportunities. Miles of natural surface trails are perfect for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking with unique wooden bridges and underpasses connecting trails across wetland areas.
Other amenities include a dog park, shelter house, climbing rocks, fishing pier, picnic areas with grills, and access to the St. Vrain Greenway trail. The ox-bow ponds and wetland areas provide excellent birdwatching of waterfowl, songbirds, and raptors including bald eagles. With a combination of wetland ecologies and upland habitat, Golden Ponds Park allows you to spot native plants and wildlife while exploring the outdoors.
Union Reservoir and Union Reservoir Dog Park
Offering access to Boulder County’s largest body of water, Union Reservoir Regional Park spans 930 acres with opportunities for boating, watersports, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and over 6 miles of walking trails. The on-site marina rents paddleboards, kayaks, pedal boats and sailboats along with hosting special full moon paddleboard events.
Adjacent to Union Reservoir, Longmont’s 50-acre Union Reservoir Dog Park features a fenced off-leash area, doggie dock for swimming, agility equipment, and natural trails. With its stunning mountain views and endless amenities both in and out of the water, Union Reservoir Regional Park is a must-visit on warm sunny days.
Izaak Walton Park
Named after famous fisherman Izaak Walton, this 48-acre community park contains several stocked fishing ponds perfect for anglers of all ages to enjoy catch and release fishing. Izaak Walton functions primarily as an open space and wildlife refuge with paved walking trails winding through native grasslands, wetlands, and protected wildlife habitat.
The park has an archery range, model aircraft airfield, picnic shelters, and restrooms available as well. Birdwatchers can view many native species in their natural habitat thanks to habitat restoration efforts in the park. With activities for both outdoor recreation enthusiasts and nature lovers, Izaak Walton Park has something for everyone.
Sandstone Ranch Park
Featuring an expansive maze-like network of concrete paths winding through scenic natural spaces and ponds, Sandstone Ranch Park spans 223 acres along the St. Vrain Greenway. Walking trails cater to all abilities while providing opportunities to view diverse wildlife habitat, wetlands, and native wildflowers.
Other amenities include a playground, shelter house, restrooms, open lawn areas, fishing dock, wildlife viewing areas with interpretive educational signs, and access to the St. Vrain Greenway. The James F. Bailey Overlook offers panoramic vistas of Longmont including Union Reservoir and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Sandstone Ranch Park also frequently holds special events like races, festivals, and concerts.
Clover Basin Park
Covering over 88 acres adjacent to Golden Ponds Park, Clover Basin features open grass fields perfect for sports practice, flying kites, frisbee, picnicking, and walking your dog. Amenities include a playground, shelter house with grills, restrooms, 1.5 mile looped concrete walking trail circling a central pond, and fishing access from pond banks or wooden fishing pier.
Clover Basin connects directly to Golden Ponds Park’s trail network allowing exploration by bike or foot of both parks together. Birdwatching is also popular here due to the many migratory birds that stop at the central pond. With beautiful views of Longs Peak, Clover Basin Park is perfect for an afternoon of light recreation and enjoying Colorado’s natural scenery.
McIntosh Lake Botanical Gardens
Constructed on a retired gravel pit site, the 22-acre McIntosh Lake Botanical Gardens feature specialized themed gardens arranged around a central lake. Explore 10 unique garden spaces like the Lilac Garden, English Cottage Garden, Herb Garden, Waterwise Garden, and more. Each garden contains interactive elements, interpretive signage highlighting botanical knowledge and gardening tips, and of course gorgeous flowers.
Visitors can meander along paved walking paths to admire gorgeous displays, photograph colorful blossoms, stop to smell fragrant flowers, rest in peaceful garden rooms, or picnic waterside. Annual events include a plant sale fundraiser, garden classes for homeowners, art in the gardens, and summer concerts by the lake. For green thumbs and garden lovers, McIntosh Lake is Longmont’s loveliest park.
The 4-acre lake at the center has an accessible fishing pier making McIntosh Lake Botanical Gardens an unexpected urban fishing hole as well!
Swallows Park Disc Golf Course
Home to two of Longmont’s four disc golf courses, the newly renovated Swallows ParkDisc Golf Course spans 60 acres with challenging terrain perfect for experienced disc golf players. Featuring 2 mile-long courses with 18 baskets each, players will traverse up and downhill through elevation changes of over 100 feet.
Narrow wooded fairways, deep ravines, creek hazards, thick brush roughs, and unique mando obstacles offer a technical and scenic disc golfing test for all skill levels. Practice putting greens allow players to warm up before the tournament style layouts. With 360 feet of elevation change, the downhill and uphill shots make Swallows one of the Front Range’s most exciting disc golf challenges.
The park also features walking trails, a playground, restrooms, and future plans for a bike skills course. Even if you just come to watch disc golfers in action traversing ravines and tree-lined fairways, Swallows Park is worth a visit for outdoor fans.
Roger’s Grove Park
Historic Roger’s Grove Park dates back to 1938 as one of Longmont’s early community parks. The 25-acre park contains open turf fields frequented by local sports leagues, sand volleyball courts, playgrounds, shaded picnic areas with grills, the historic Roger’s Grove neighborhood gathering building available to rent for events, and access to the St. Vrain Greenway.
The park got its name from early Longmont settlers Henry J. and Margaret Roger who owned a homestead and apple orchard in the area. Over 30 varieties of heritage and rare fruit trees still grow in Roger’s Grove Park today, which visitors can sample apples from during late summer harvests. The park also features an interactive storywalk highlighting Longmont history and is pet and family-friendly.
Dickens Farm Park
For animal lovers, Dickens Farm Park offers a unique experience to interact with heritage breed farm animals in a family-friendly city park environment. Shetland ponies, horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits make up the live petting zoo and barnyard residents at Dickens Farm Park.
The 8-acre park has picnic tables for lunching while watching animals, pony rides on weekends, animal viewing areas, pumpkin patch during Fall harvests, and the historic Dickens family farmhouse. Kids can feed carrots to hungry goats through fences while learning about each animal breed from educational signs. Leashed dogs are also allowed to accompany visitors through the park to meet the furry residents. For a quintessential farm experience without leaving town, Dickens Farm Park charms young and old visitors alike.
Conclusion
As this list shows, Longmont truly excels when it comes to providing diverse, beautiful, and fun-filled parks and open spaces for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy. From the 7-mile recreational Greenway to a botanic gardens lake loop to a historic petting farmyard, there is a Longmont park perfectly tailored to all interests and hobbies. Getting back to nature, trying a new sport, having a family picnic, or viewing colorful blossoms is easy and accessible thanks to the Longmont parks system.
The next time you find yourself in Longmont, skip the indoors and head to the parks highlighted here for an authentic taste of Colorado’s natural beauty and adventures. With over 60 parks to choose from, you may just discover a new favorite outdoor space that keeps you coming back long after your visit is over. Use this list as your guide to the top park experiences Longmont has to offer.