Donation to City and County of Denver
The Centennial State Parks and Recreation have potentially proposing that the 450-acre Axton Ranch property in Jefferson and Gilpin counties by donating to the City and County of Denver. This is part of Denver’s Mountain Parks system. In fact, the property is under an hour’s drive from Denver. It is adjacent to Roosevelt National Forest and near Arapahoe National Forest, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, and Jefferson County Open Space. This is a wonderful thing. A beautiful escape for families and people that enjoy and want to commune with nature. The acquisition will join over 14,000 acres of contiguous public lands.
Centennial State Property
Conifer and aspens, meadows, ponds, a small creek, and a historic trail that provides access to Mount Thorodin and Starr Peak which the area features. according to Denver Parks and Recreation. In fact, it was operating as a small cattle ranch historically. Moreover, it has stayed in the Axton family since 1954.
Centennial State: Donate of the Ranch to Denver Mountain Parks
“This beautiful ranch is donated to Denver Mountain Parks and we are excited about it,” the Axton family said in a statement. In fact, we feel they will steward and preserve it for upcoming generations to love and enjoy as we have. For your interest and preservation, congratulations to the City of Denver for your newest mountain park.
Right of First Offer for Denver, Colorado
In fact, this donation for Denver will include a Right of First Offer on an adjacent 38 acres. Therefore, this would allow the city of Denver to purchase those additional acres if the family in fact decided to sell it.
If acquired, the property would be the first new mountain park in over 80 years.
In fact, this designation process will ensure that the new park is protecting from future development and real estate transactions. Once a park has been designating, it can only be used for park purposes. It can’t be changing without approval by Denver’s voters.