Erie Community Park
Park
44 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Lincoln School · Photo: Hustvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Erie
15% of Erie’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 20 miles of mapped trail cross Erie, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Erie Community Park (1.1 mi), Coal Creek Open Space (0.9 mi), Star Meadows Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #42 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,039 acres · of 21.5 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
966 ac
29 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
96 mi
33 mi lanes · 60 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Erie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Erie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Erie is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #42 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Erie’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land29 acres of park per 1,000 residents (966 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 74%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Erie’s 15% is ahead of 74% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 32% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Erie Community Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Coal Creek Open Space
Managed by Town of Erie
172 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Reliance Park
Managed by Erie Parks and Recreation
20 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Colliers Hill
Nature preserve
71 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Grandview Open Space
Nature preserve
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Erie Community Park44 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCoal Creek Open Space172 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Town of Erie
DirectionsStar Meadows Park8 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Reliance Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Erie Parks and Recreation
DirectionsColliers Hill71 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGrandview Open Space5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Clayton Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLehigh Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLongs Peak Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Arapahoe Ridge Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCoal Creek Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCoal Miner Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVista Pointe Open Space134 acres · Town of Erie
DirectionsErie Highlands31 acres
Erie Commons18 acres · Town of Erie
Colliers Hill Neighborhood Park (2024)10 acres
Columbine Mine Park10 acres · Town of Erie
DirectionsCrescent Park7 acres
Rock Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,039 conserved acres
15% of Erie’s land. Who manages Erie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,124 ac
State land board418 ac
Private owners256 ac
County232 ac
Regional agency54 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,104 acState Resource Management Area · 418 acLocal Park · 256 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 230 acUnknown Easement · 50 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 10 of 69 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Land Board State Land Board State Resource Management Area | State land board | 418 | Closed |
| Vista Ridge Golf Club Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 230 | Restricted |
| Coal Creek Open Space (Grandview) Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 151 | Open |
| Coal Creek & Vista Point Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Leyner II Local Other or Unknown | County | 103 | Closed |
| Wise Local Other or Unknown | County | 72 | Closed |
| Kenosha Farms Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 72 | Open |
| Erie Airpark Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 69 | Unknown |
| Erie Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Northridge Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 61 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
76 places to go in Erie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Erie
Lehigh Park PlaygroundIn Lehigh Park
Directions71 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Erie
The BoneyardIn Reliance Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Erie
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Erie
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Erie
Coal Creek Disc Golf CourseHours: sunrise-sunset · In Colliers Hill · Town of Erie Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
96 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
33 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
60 mi
off-road bike paths
3.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
15Baseball
14Basketball
12Tennis
11Pickleball
9Soccer
3Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Lincoln SchoolBuilding · listed 1981
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Erie: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 47 | 56 | 63 | 72 | 84 | 89 | 87 | 79 | 66 | 54 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
January is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 2.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Erie →
Next door
Erie and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | 15% | 0.9 | 29 | 99%+ | A |
| Frederick | 8% | 1.0 | 22 | 95% | A |
| Lafayette | 22% | 3.5 | 16 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Broomfield | 21% | 1.2 | 29 | 99% | A+ |
| Dacono | under 1% | 0.5 | 4 | 95% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Erie
Where can I hike in Erie?
The longest trail networks: Erie Community Park, 1.1 miles; Coal Creek Open Space, 0.9 miles; Star Meadows Park, 0.6 miles; Reliance Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Erie is conserved land?
15% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Erie’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Reliance Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Erie?
96 miles of bike routes are on the map: 33 of painted or protected lanes, 60 of off-road paths and 3.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Erie?
35,661 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Erie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 966 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Erie have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #42 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Erie neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →