In a span of about six weeks, the City of Arvada started three separate pieces of work along the Ralston Creek Trail. A trail detour near Highway 93 began the week of Sept. 14. A park construction contract was approved on Sept. 15, and its ground blessing followed on Sept. 24. A mural crew is racing toward an Oct. 31 deadline at the 66th Avenue underpass. Each was announced on its own, and each sits at a different point along the trail.
They do have one thing in common. Each project is at a spot where the trail meets something else. On the east end, Ralston Creek runs into Clear Creek. In the middle, the trail passes from prairie into foothills. On the west end, it is about to connect to a regional trail. The city's money and attention this fall are going to the places where the Ralston Creek Trail joins other parts of the map.
| Where on the trail | What's happening | Status as of Oct. 11 | Date to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Strike Park, Ralston and Clear Creek confluence | Full park redesign | Construction began after the Sept. 24 ground blessing | Completion expected fall 2028 |
| 66th Avenue underpass near Long Lake Regional Park | "Veins of Gold" mural by Adden Joule | Being painted | Due Oct. 31 |
| North of Arvada-Blunn Reservoir, near Highway 93 | New 1.7-mile Colorado Front Range Trail segment | Detour onto a gravel path announced for about three to four weeks starting the week of Sept. 14 | Check city updates before heading out |
| Arvada-Blunn Reservoir | Fishing dock closed; bear closure west of the boat ramp | In effect | Reservoir season ends Oct. 31 |
Where the Trail's Name Came From, Now a Construction Site
Gold Strike Park sits where Ralston Creek and Clear Creek meet. It is also where the trail's name comes from. The Arvada Press notes that the park is known as the site of the first documented gold discovery in Colorado, made by Lewis Ralston in 1850. The same report adds that the Cheyenne and Arapaho lived on this land long before that.
That history set the tone for the start of construction. The Arvada Press reported that leaders of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes led a Ground Blessing Ceremony at the park on Sept. 24. Tribal legislator Kendricks Sleeper led a prayer, and tribal members performed an honor song in a drum circle. The tribes took part in designing the redevelopment. That relationship with the city began with the naming of Little Raven Park in 2023. Mayor Lauren Simpson told the paper, "This redevelopment is much more than building a new park. We do that a lot, and they're all special. But this one is really special."
The building itself was approved nine days earlier. The Badger reported that the Arvada City Council voted 6-0 on Sept. 15 to approve a construction contract of roughly $9.6 million. The city's plans call for:
- restored meadows and nesting habitat
- a wetland boardwalk and improvements along Ralston Creek
- a pedestrian bridge
- nature play areas and a bike playground
- pavilions, lawns, trails, and overlooks
- expanded parking
- interpretive art and creek and wetland features
City project materials list two funding sources. One is $7.3 million in federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership money. The other is a $750,000 Great Outdoors Colorado Community Impact grant.
Many items on that list are about water and crossings: a boardwalk over wetland, work along the creek, and a bridge. At the place where two creeks and their trails meet, the redesign puts its effort into helping people move across and along the water. The finish date is fall 2028, so this will be a construction zone for about two years. The city has not said in anything we found whether trail segments near the park will close during the work. Arvada's park updates page is the place to watch for that.
Halfway Between Prairie and Foothills, a Mural Goes Up
The second project sits on the same theme, roughly in the middle of the corridor. Adden Joule, a Broomfield-based artist who works on large public pieces, is painting "Veins of Gold" across the north and south walls and the inside of the Ralston Creek Trail underpass near Long Lake Regional Park. The mural features the plants and animals found along the trail. The title echoes Lewis Ralston's find downstream.
According to the Arvada Press, Joule wanted the design to reflect where the underpass sits, at the meeting point of prairie and mountains. He explained the layout to the paper:
"On the west wall, I'm doing a mountain scene that has a blooming flower … On the east wall we have the prairie scene, and with this one, there's the sunrise, there's a prickly pear bloom."
He picked up his ideas on the trail itself. After he was named a finalist in July, he visited the site and walked the trail for miles. In late August he learned he had been chosen from four finalists by the Arvada Arts and Culture Commission. Since then, the paper reports, he has worked from sunrise to midday every day to meet the Oct. 31 deadline. Morning trail users this month may pass the work in progress, with the walls changing a section at a time.
Adelle Burton, Arvada's Special Events and Public Arts Manager, told the paper the project is "another great step toward our goal of bringing art within a 10-minute walk of every Arvada resident." She described it as part of an effort to bring more public art to west Arvada, especially in settings among trails and open space. That puts the mural in the same category as Gold Strike Park: public money spent where the trail crosses from one setting into another.
The West End Gets a New Link as the Reservoir Drops
The third junction is a planned connection, and it is the one most likely to change routes for people who use the far western end of the trail. In a Sept. 16 notice, the city said a short section of the Ralston Creek Trail north of Arvada-Blunn Reservoir, near Highway 93, would be detoured starting the week of Sept. 14. Trail users would be sent onto a gravel path just south of the main trail. The purpose is to build a new 1.7-mile segment of the Colorado Front Range Trail that will connect to the Ralston Creek Trail.
The city estimated the detour would last about three to four weeks. As of Oct. 11, that window has either just ended or is about to. We found no update confirming the main trail has reopened. The notice links to a Google map showing the detour, which is the quickest way to check before a ride out toward Highway 93. The available material does not give the new segment's exact route or a completion date.
The reservoir next to that construction is having a harder fall. In an Oct. 9 update, the city said the Arvada-Blunn fishing dock is closed because extremely low water levels damaged it. Repairs have to wait until the water rises, which the city does not expect before the end of this season. The boat ramp and boat dock were still open as of that notice. However, the city warned that if water levels keep dropping, those could close before the reservoir's scheduled seasonal closure on Oct. 31. Shoreline fishing is still allowed, and the low water has exposed more shoreline.
The same notice keeps a separate closure in place. A section of the reservoir trail about 500 feet west of the boat ramp is closed because of ongoing bear activity. That closure, along with restricted access to the north side of the reservoir, lasts through the end of the season on Oct. 31.
The western end of the corridor is gaining a regional connection while one of its main stops loses features for the year. The new trail segment is permanent. The dock closure and bear closure are tied to this season. The city has not given a completion date for the new segment, and dock repairs depend on the water coming back up.
The Trail's Calendar, From This Month to 2028
Most of the near-term dates fall at the end of October, and one is much farther out:
- Any day now: The estimated window for the Highway 93 detour runs out. Check the city's map before assuming the main trail is open.
- Before Oct. 31: The Arvada-Blunn boat ramp and boat dock could close early if the water keeps falling.
- Oct. 31: The reservoir season ends, which also ends the bear closure west of the boat ramp and the north-side restrictions. The same day is Adden Joule's deadline for "Veins of Gold" at the 66th Avenue underpass.
- Fall 2028: Gold Strike Park is expected to be finished, with its boardwalk, pedestrian bridge, and bike playground at the confluence.
Once the mural and the Front Range Trail segment are done, the trail will have finished work at its middle and western ends, and Gold Strike Park will still be under construction at the eastern end for about two more years.
If you have Ralston Creek Trail questions that go past your weekend route, like how Gold Strike Park construction or the new Front Range Trail link could affect the streets near them, The Denver Group keeps close track of what Arvada is building and is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
