Highlands Ranch Open Space (Denver, Colorado Springs: lease, houses, promotional)

[mkwensky]

Does anyone here have pictures or videos of the open space under HRMD jurisdiction? I tried to visit this past October and it looks kind of ugly to me - mostly flat and brown, with few species of vegetation and no water feature. I tried youtube and there are few videos.
I have more experience with the trails in Littleton and they seem much nicer than the ones in HR. Is that a fair statement?

I'm interested in the western HR, the part that's close to Chatfield. The houses there seem nice and you can see the mountains from many of them. Are there issues (air/noise/accessibility) that could impact QOL in the area?

[rtloucks]

We lived on that side last year. I don't recall any water features anywhere there. Lots of trails and dog parks though. You can hop on a path behind just about any house and walk for miles. We enjoyed that. And there are several fenced-in parks too. Mountain views? Ehhh. You can see foothills from 3/4 of the metro. Overall you're correct, it's flat. But you are close to the foothills and there are bike paths that take you anywhere. I think a lot of people have jaded ideas of what to expect when living in the Denver metro. We hear that from people all the time... "oh you're so lucky to see the mountains everyday? " well... not exactly.

Scenery is nice, but living in highlands ranch wasn't much different than living in Minnesota or Texas. FLAT, YELLOW AND BLAH.

With that said, colorado is nice. the homes in highlands ranch are in that 20 year old ish mark. Exterior styles are a little more modern than some burbs. Interiors are black and generic and cookie cutter.

You also may pay attention to the water lease situation there. I know they were talking problems when we moved in August. Not sure where that stands.

I'd be more concerned about traffic there. Wow..

[2bindenver]

The trail near northridge has a stream, and its hilly.

[cowboyxjon]

Is there any reason why you’re interested in Western Highlands Ranch specifically?

If you want to be near the city but have views of the foothills, you could also check out parts of western Lakewood or Golden. It’s not the same as HR in the sense that the neighborhoods are generally not planned communities (maybe with the exception of Solterra in Lakewood), but you might get the kind of feel you are looking for, and there are parks that have trails (Green Mountain Open Space, North/South Table Mountain Park, etc.).

Also, have you looked at Genesee? Not sure if I spelled that correctly.

Although to echo the people who are talking about the brown landscape, this is a dry climate, so the landscape is brown and dry for a major portion of the year.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by rtloucks

Mountain views? Ehhh. You can see foothills from 3/4 of the metro. Overall you're correct, it's flat. But you are close to the foothills and there are bike paths that take you anywhere. I think a lot of people have jaded ideas of what to expect when living in the Denver metro. We hear that from people all the time... "oh you're so lucky to see the mountains everyday? " well... not exactly.

Scenery is nice, but living in highlands ranch wasn't much different than living in Minnesota or Texas. FLAT, YELLOW AND BLAH.

Have you ever looked at a map of CO that shows anything besides highways/cities OP? You'll quickly realize that Denver metro and the suburbs E, SE, NE (which would include HR) are not IN the mountains, they're east of them on the plains. Its going to be relatively flat, brown much of the year, and you'll see the mountains in the distance when the weather cooperates.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Have you ever looked at a map of CO that shows anything besides highways/cities OP? You'll quickly realize that Denver metro and the suburbs E, SE, NE (which would include HR) are not IN the mountains, they're east of them on the plains. Its going to be relatively flat, brown much of the year, and you'll see the mountains in the distance when the weather cooperates.

FWIW, the OP does know that. He spent several weeks late last summer/early fall "working from home" in both Denver and the Springs AFAIK.

[Parnassia]

Then why the questions? Not assuming this applies directly to the OP, but it always surprises me how poor many people's understanding of basic US geography is, and how difficult it is for them to look at some MapQuest image and translate that information into the reality of the ground around them.

[mkwensky]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Have you ever looked at a map of CO that shows anything besides highways/cities OP? You'll quickly realize that Denver metro and the suburbs E, SE, NE (which would include HR) are not IN the mountains, they're east of them on the plains. Its going to be relatively flat, brown much of the year, and you'll see the mountains in the distance when the weather cooperates.

I have actually visited parts of HR and Littleton. I've also hiked in many trails near Colorado Springs. Even though they're all front range cities there were still some topological variations. I just think compared to the other two the views of HR's open spaces seem inferior. It seems even drier than areas slightly to the west like Red Rocks and the vegetation more monotonous.

[rtloucks]

We lived on the west side of Highlands Ranch. Super suburban. It's nice tho. I wasn't trying to imply that people don't realize that the metro is not in the mountains, just that a lot of people assume that the mountains are in your back yard. But if you do live in towns like a poster mentioned like Golden Morrison, or even on the very west side of Littleton or Lakewood or Roxboro Park, then you will have beautiful view of the foothills. I actually like the Meadows im Castle Rock. Wide open spaces and beautiful views. If we ever move back tbats where I'll be. But commutes are no fun to Denver if you ace to do that.

As far as the dry climate and brown... you're correct. An arid climate does not bring green. No surprise there, just saying that it looks more like north Texas or Kansas most of the time than what is pictured on TV and promotional videos.

You want to see the flowing river nestled in the towering green pines and lush foliage? Better keep driving into the mountains and higher up

[COcheesehead]

I lived in HR for years and walked the open space trails often. Brown? Sometimes in some areas. Flat? Never. The trails are a nice amenity. Miles and miles of walking/riding space with pocket parks, dog parks, public gardens.

I guess folks can find something negative to say about almost anything.