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45-mile segment of the HLC to
Arapahoe County, with a conservation easement held by the High Line Canal Conservancy. The adjoining maintenance road was entirely closed to the public until 1970. Today it remains closed to all unauthorized motor vehicles, but approximately 60 miles (97 km) of the road have been improved for use as a recreational trail open to non-motorized users. Designated a National Landmark Trail, it is a popular destination for Denver's outdoor enthusiasts and is open all year to hikers, bikers, joggers, and (along some segments) equestrians. The High Line Canal Trail is shaded for much of its length by mature
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121:, with a minimal drop in elevation per mile along its course. Thus the canal follows the line of highest possible elevation that allows its flow to be driven by gravity (so that neither pumping nor electricity is required for transporting the water). As a result, High Line canals typically have many twists and turns as they maintain elevation by traversing natural valleys first in an upstream direction, then back down the opposite side, then around dividing ridges, and so on.
168:(at about mile 48). However, Denver Water still occasionally sends water further downstream, in order to water the trees that line the canal's bank. Denver Water has vacated the HLC downstream from mile 66.3 in Green Valley Ranch, and today there is very little visible evidence of the additional five miles that historically extended beyond that point.
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The company originally intended to place about 50,000 acres under cultivation, but it had difficulty securing sufficient water because earlier ditches held irrigation rights based on prior claims. Court cases regarding water rights dragged on for years. Because the High Line Canal's water rights were
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was the furthest-downstream customer that was still taking water delivery via the HLC. However, the canal does not provide a very efficient method of delivering water; Denver Water estimates 60% to 80% of water in the canal is lost to seepage or evaporation. As a result, the
Arsenal is now provided
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Although the HLC was originally built for the purpose of irrigation, today it is better known to
Colorado residents as a source of recreation. For just over a century, the canal itself (and the water flowing through it) was owned by Denver Water, but in 2024 Denver Water transferred ownership of a
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The short segment of the trail on the west side of Santa Fe Drive has a dirt surface (mi. 9.9 to 12.5), while on the east side of Santa Fe the trail is hard-pack gravel. However, between mile 14.7 and 16.7, the HLC trail is coincident with the
Centennial Trail, which has a concrete surface.
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This segment of the trail has a dirt surface, with some sandy and thorny sections. Heading upstream, the trail west of
Waterton Road runs through a short section of private property before dead-ending at mile 1.2, where a fence blocks public access along the canal the rest of the way to its
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From Havana to almost Tower Road, the trail is primarily surfaced with concrete (to about mile 60.7). Beyond there, the remaining three miles of Aurora's portion of the trail (through mile 63.8) has two inaccessible segments and is generally not maintained for recreational use.
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junior to 74 other canals in the South Platte watershed, it was frequently dry. Although the agricultural development that the HLC was meant to spawn never fully materialized, the canal nevertheless nourished the growth of both Denver and its eastern suburb,
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beginning. Heading downstream, the trail ends just beyond the gravity siphon on the west bank of Plum Creek. The next .4 miles of the HLC run through private property, and there is no direct connection to the trail on the east side of Plum Creek.
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The HLC was designed to carry nearly three-quarters of a billion gallons of water per day, but actually averages only 71 million gallons. The canal today has a water capacity of 600 cu ft/s (17 m/s). When the
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The canal runs through a golf course, and this segment is not open to recreational users. In 2021 this section was bypassed via a trail running along and underneath
Hampden Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
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Deer, ducks, geese, turtles, hawks, herons, pelicans, raccoon, fox, coyotes, mountain lions, and various other animals have been spotted on or around the canal and surrounding trails.
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High Line Canal: Meandering
Through Time. A Historical Trail Guide. By Dr. David Skari. Copyright 2003 David Skari. Printed by C&M Press, 4825 Nome St. Denver, Colorado 80239.
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was built in 1942, a lateral was built off the HLC (at about mile 64) in order to supply water to the chemical weapons manufacturing center, and until about 2008, the
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High Line canals are named after the engineering principle by which they are designed. The "high line principle" calls for a canal to follow the contours of the
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trees, and the surface of the pathway ranges from hard-packed dirt to concrete. Five agencies have recreational agreements to maintain sections of the trails:
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The canal runs through private property from mile 8.9 to 9.3, and there is no maintained trail access between there and the bridge at mile 9.9.
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The HLC runs through Green Valley Ranch, thus re-entering Denver city limits. This entire segment of the trail is surfaced with concrete.
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114:). Elsewhere in Colorado and in other western states, there are a number of additional canals named "High Line" or "Highline".
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Second
Sighting of Mountain Lion Reported on Highline Canal (Colorado Division of Wildlife press release, October 28, 1999)
54:. From its headgate, the HLC runs generally northeast for 66 miles (106 km) (historically 71 miles), passing through
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helped place a conservation easement on 20 acres (81,000 m) of land adjacent to the popular High Line Canal Trail.
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Guide to the High Line Canal Trail. Richard H. Johnson, ed. Published by Denver Water
Community Relations Office, 1999.
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The High Line Canal is not the only one so named. Others in
Colorado include the Farmer's High Line (which flows from
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and the surrounding Grand Valley); and the Rocky Ford High Line (which irrigates land in the
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592:", 23 photos, 2 measured drawings, 20 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
585:", 30 photos, 2 measured drawings, 30 data pages, 5 photo caption pages
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From the north side of the private Acequia bridge to the south side of County Line Road.
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with recycled water instead of canal water, and as of 2011, the HLC's last customer is
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Detailed interactive map showing trail conditions, milepost locations, photos, etc.
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A view along one of the narrow portions of the High Line Canal in Denver, Colorado
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From the north side of Hampden Avenue to the west side of Colorado Boulevard.
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From the north side of County Line Road to the south side of Hampden Avenue.
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From Aurora city limit near 40th Avenue to the west side of Picadilly Road.
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From the east side of Havana Street to Green Valley Ranch near 40th Avenue.
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From the east side of Colorado Boulevard to the west side of Havana Street.
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Metro Denver-Aurora, Colorado irrigation ditch and urban recreational trail
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http://www.tpl.org/media-room/high-line-canal-trail-viewshed-preserved-co
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High Line Canal Trail Viewshed Preserved (Trust for Public Land Article)
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Primarily this segment of the HLC trail has a hard-pack gravel surface.
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Transportation buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado
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Transportation buildings and structures in Douglas County, Colorado
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Highline Canal, Sand Creek Lateral, Commerce City, Adams County, CO
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578:", 12 photos, 27 data pages, 1 photo caption page
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This segment of the trail is primarily surfaced with asphalt.
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Douglas County: Open Space, High Line Canal Regional Trail
450:"Historic Milestone Secures Future of the High Line Canal"
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Highline Extension Canal, Denver, Denver County, CO
210:From Waterton Road to the west bank of Plum Creek.
715:Buildings and structures in Adams County, Colorado
50:, some 1.8 miles (2.9 km) above the mouth of
725:Transportation buildings and structures in Denver
675:Historic American Engineering Record in Colorado
230:From the west bank of Plum Creek to the private
161:Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
90:); the Government High Line (which irrigates
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695:Protected areas of Arapahoe County, Colorado
640:Protected areas of Douglas County, Colorado
261:South Suburban Park and Recreation District
576:High Line Canal, Denver, Denver County, CO
554:Trails.com summary of Highline Canal Trail
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690:Protected areas of Adams County, Colorado
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710:Transportation in Adams County, Colorado
539:Denver Water: High Line Canal (official)
359:The HLC supplies water to Buell Lake in
18:Highline Canal National Recreation Trail
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334:Denver Parks and Recreation Department
299:Denver Parks and Recreation Department
34:(HLC) is a man-made waterway, used for
680:National Recreation Trails in Colorado
559:City of Littleton: Irrigation Projects
242:Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District
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569:Historic American Engineering Record
544:Denver Water: High Line Canal (map)
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499:"High Line Canal - CommunityWalk"
220:(private property; unmaintained)
38:and recreation, that serves the
685:Irrigation in the United States
40:Denver-Aurora metropolitan area
412:U.S. Board on Geographic Names
393:Denver Water: High Line Canal
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645:Geography of Aurora, Colorado
455:. High Line Canal Conservancy
316:Aurora Parks and Open Space
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700:Protected areas of Denver
354:The Trust for Public Land
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581:HAER No. CO-43-A, "
172:Recreation and ownership
280:(Wellshire golf course)
133:Developmental struggles
616:39.48294°N 105.11558°W
588:HAER No. CO-67, "
574:HAER No. CO-43, "
571:(HAER) documentation:
414:, accessed 10/24/2011.
402:, accessed 09/23/2011.
157:Rocky Mountain Arsenal
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705:Canals opened in 1883
146:took over the canal.
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621:39.48294; -105.11558
361:Cherry Hills Village
339:(mile 63.8 to 66.3)
321:(mile 50.1 to 63.8)
304:(mile 36.9 to 50.1)
650:Geography of Denver
612: /
505:on February 1, 2012
438:Trails.com Overview
660:Canals in Colorado
398:2009-09-07 at the
286:(mile 36 to 36.9)
226:(mile 8.9 to 9.9)
206:(mile 1.2 to 8.9)
166:Fairmount Cemetery
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74:Origin of the name
48:South Platte River
665:Irrigation canals
655:Parks in Colorado
352:In January 2009,
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247:(mile 9.9 to 17)
190:Approx. distance
42:. It begins at a
16:(Redirected from
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193:Description
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144:Denver Water
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619: /
607:105°06′56″W
319:13.7 miles
302:13.2 miles
142:. In 1924,
84:Westminster
634:Categories
604:39°28′59″N
375:References
337:2.5 miles
245:7.1 miles
204:8.7 miles
179:cottonwood
150:Irrigation
112:Rocky Ford
70:Counties.
36:irrigation
670:Greenways
265:19 miles
196:Comments
108:Manzanola
396:Archived
367:Wildlife
284:.9 mile
234:bridge.
88:Thornton
60:Arapahoe
459:24 June
232:Acequia
224:1 mile
187:Agency
119:terrain
56:Douglas
46:on the
509:1 June
140:Aurora
110:, and
104:Fowler
80:Golden
66:, and
64:Denver
453:(PDF)
100:Boone
68:Adams
511:2019
461:2024
86:and
30:The
636::
469:^
419:^
383:^
363:.
106:,
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58:,
513:.
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20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
