High Line Canal Segment 1
If you’re not interested in hiking the entire High Line, buy The Best Urban Hikes: Denver, which has several hikes, out n backs, and loops that incorporate pieces of the High Line. See details about this segment, below.
Segment 1 is a 4-mile round-trip walk that starts in the Waterton Canyon parking lot, goes to the first head gate, and then turns around to go back to Waterton Canyon parking lot. Walking past the historic Kassler Treatment Center, the walk goes slightly uphill on a wide dirt road. It parallels the Platte River. Often, we see big horn sheep on this route. The walk goes under the Marston water pipes, and we can see the High Line Canal in its cement flume before it ducks into its mountain tunnel. We pass mile marker 1 and then find the first head gate at the unmarked mile marker 0 of the High Line Canal Trail. This is probably one of the busiest segments of the entire High Line and is much different than any other segment.
What shoes do I wear on the High Line Canal Trail? These in the summer. These in the winter.
Start: Waterton Canyon Parking Lot (11300 Waterton Road, Littleton)
End: Waterton Canyon Parking Lot
Length: 4 miles round-trip
Mile Markers: 2-0-2
Highlights: Head Gate 0, Diversion Dam, Kassler Treatment Center, big horn sheep.