Landscape Information
Following suggestions made by the South Platte River Commission in 1995 which identified development opportunities along the urban waterway, this public park was constructed five years later on formerly industrial land near downtown Denver. Built on steep, rocky slopes on both sides of the river, City of Cuernavaca Park was designed by Civitas and funded by a Legacy Grant from Great Outdoors Colorado. Named for one of Denver’s ten “sister cities,” Cuernavaca, Mexico lies at the same elevation as Denver.
With picnic pavilions and a large expanse of open lawn, the north side of the park is utilized for active recreational activities. Undulating topography, naturalistic vegetation, and a rock sculpture dominate the section of the park south of the river abutting the former industrial corridor along the east side of the park. An ovoid circuit for bicycle and pedestrian use, the primary connecting feature of the park, spans both sides of the river and is lined with trees. Pedestrian bridges along the track recall nineteenth century railroad trestle bridges. The eighteen-mile-long South Platte River trail connecting the towns of Thornton and Englewood passes through the park on the southern bank of the river. The southern extent of the site is traversed by two motorway bridges and the eastern side is flanked by a railroad and a former industrial zone which has been revitalized with residential construction.
