High Line Canal Mile 38-29 Beautiful Cherry Hills

People who enjoy Denver think they need to get up into the mountains to see amazing views. They couldn’t be more wrong. This High Line Canal Segment 6 walk meandered through some of the prettiest places and views I’ve ever seen. Backed by the High Line Canal Conservancy and Walk2Connect, a group of 16 set out on an amazing amble through Cherry Hills last night under perfect weather, great attitudes, and wonderful new friendships. Here are the highlights from High Line Canal Segment 6.

Entering Cherry Hills Village–No Parking, But Glorious Views

We started at Mamie Eisenhower Park and continued south from mile marker 38. We were all very excited knowing that we’d soon cross our halfway mark in this 71-mile adventure. But first we had to cross Hampden, which actually had good beg buttons and pedestrian markings, follow the complicated High Line Canal signs, discover the Cherry Hills Village neighborhood, and cross a foot bridge to reconnect with the pebble trail south of Wellshire Golf Course.

To see footage of crossing Hampden, watch this video.
To see how to navigate from Hampden/Colorado through Cherry Hills Village, watch this video.

Mile Marker 35.5, The High Liners Cross the Halfway Line!

Not long after we hit our stride, we hit our mark. At 35.5 miles, the High Liners paused to reflect on the all the fun and adventure we had experienced as we crossed into the second half of our journey. Strangers had become friends, friends had become motivators. Three disc golf courses, 1 deer, hundreds of birds, thousands of flowers, over 100,000 steps–5 of us who have walked all 6 segments named ourselves the Olympians of the High Line.

To see the Halfway celebration, watch this video.

Cat’s Conservation

Around Mile Marker 35, we walked along the Cat Anderson property. Here, Ms Anderson has conserved 17 acres of horse country. With sweeping views of horse jumps, grasses, and even delicious apple trees (yup, we tried some of the best, sweet, green apples we’ve ever eaten), we took a respite. Nice benches greeted us, and a wonderful, wheelchair-accessible porta-potty came handy at just the right time. Watch this wonderful videolog of Ms Anderson describing her property and its conservation. (Thank you Debby Miller for the pointer!)

A Wonderful Place to Retire

Mile Marker 33 popped up in surprise, as the miles seemed short when surrounded by good friends and good sites. We found ourselves bordering the Kent-Denver Day School property, one of the largest users of the High Line’s water. The High Liners were quite surprised to learn that Mamie Dodd Eisenhower originally owned this land, and she and Dwight had plans, at one time, to retire here.

Ode to the Cottonwood

With such a bounty of beauty, we had gotten accustomed to the large cottonwoods watered by the Canal. These shady giants had become routine until we came across the largest tree I’ve ever seen in Denver. Six of us gathered our arms and hugged out a big sign of appreciation. One of our new walkers held up a 6 sign to mark the occasion, reminding us that around each corner on the High Line there’s always a surprise.

Preserving the Best Front Range Views

We didn’t think it could get prettier, but then we crossed into Greenwood Village, and we stumbled upon the amazing Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve. With wetland views backdropped by the sun-setting Rocky Mountains, our cameras clicked in amazement. Here, just a few miles from downtown Denver, we enjoyed National Geographic worthy views of the best of Denver’s front range.

The Famous Asparagus

Since Mile Marker 71, we had heard about the famous wild asparagus growing along the Canal. Even the Conservancy’s Harriet LaMar had egged us on. After 35 miles, our skepticism had set in. But then, on a chance, we had set down for a break to enjoy the sun set along the Preserve. And lo and behold, what was right in front of us, but some actual wild asparagus! We dug in–only to find that it had gone to seed and was a bit too bitter. But next Spring, we now know where to gather (hint, near Mile Marker 32.)

Always Connecting

To our delight, a new walker joined us at around Mile Marker 31. A local, he rolled along and gave us some insight into the frequent walkers of the Trail. Our new friend wants to walk the Camino de Santiago and was thrilled to find a group of walkers who had either walked it themselves or had friends who were planning to walk it. We connected, shared contact info, and he promised to join us with his wife on our next segment. He also refreshed us by letting us know that once we passed the house under construction on the right, our parking lot at Orchard Road would be not much further on the left. Thus, with another 8 miles under our belt, High Line Canal Segment 6 came to a glorious end.