Green Mountain
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Difficulty Rating (1-5 scale, 5 being the most difficult)
Physical: 3
Technical: 3
Navigational: 3-4
Green Mountain sits just SE of the I-70 & C-470 junction. It is, perhaps, the first major landmark people see when coming down from the mountains into the metro area on I-70, of the last they see before heading up. It might be misnamed because it is more often brown than green. It's not the most scenic place to run - there are few trees or bushes, mostly grass - although the view of the city from the top is great. However, there's a wide variety of terrain, providing the opportunity for almost any kind of trail run you could want. It's popular with mountain bikers, but the trails are plentiful and mostly fairly wide, so bikers, runners and other users co-exist well. Owned by the City of Lakewood, Green is one of the few true trails in the area that is open at night, until 5am-10pm. Jeffco Open Space trails are not.
Weather and Seasons
Green is run-able year round, with some exceptions. Because there is no cover, it is best to avoid (at least the top) in strong winds and thunder storms.
Driving Directions
There are several trail heads for Green Mountain. The main ones DTR uses are:
On Thursday nights, DTR has different routes at each run. The different routes are designed so that we can accommodate runners of different speeds and still start/finish at about the same time. See more info on choosing the appropriate route for you.
Physical: 3
Technical: 3
Navigational: 3-4
Green Mountain sits just SE of the I-70 & C-470 junction. It is, perhaps, the first major landmark people see when coming down from the mountains into the metro area on I-70, of the last they see before heading up. It might be misnamed because it is more often brown than green. It's not the most scenic place to run - there are few trees or bushes, mostly grass - although the view of the city from the top is great. However, there's a wide variety of terrain, providing the opportunity for almost any kind of trail run you could want. It's popular with mountain bikers, but the trails are plentiful and mostly fairly wide, so bikers, runners and other users co-exist well. Owned by the City of Lakewood, Green is one of the few true trails in the area that is open at night, until 5am-10pm. Jeffco Open Space trails are not.
Weather and Seasons
Green is run-able year round, with some exceptions. Because there is no cover, it is best to avoid (at least the top) in strong winds and thunder storms.
Driving Directions
There are several trail heads for Green Mountain. The main ones DTR uses are:
- Rooney Road - Take C-470 to Alameda Parkway. Go W 1/4mi, towards the hogback. Turn right, N on Rooney Rd for ~1.2mi. The large, paved lot will be on your right. To avoid heavy traffic on C-470, if coming from the city, take I-70 to Colfax and head W, or hwy 6 to the end of the freeway, then left on Colfax. Just after passing under C470, turn left on Rooney Rd. Follow it for 1.9mi. The lot will be on your left.
- Forsberg Park - ~3/4mi E of C-470 on Alameda Parkway.
- Florida lot - Off of Alameda Parkway, 3/4mi N of Jewell, 1.7mi SW of Union.
On Thursday nights, DTR has different routes at each run. The different routes are designed so that we can accommodate runners of different speeds and still start/finish at about the same time. See more info on choosing the appropriate route for you.