Dickens Farm Nature Area is an interactive nature area where the St. Vrain Creek runs through the park. Located on a 52-acre site between Main and Martin Streets along the St. Vrain Creek, it is bordered by Boston Avenue to the north and is a trailhead for the St. Vrain Greenway trail system.
Nature area highlights include:
- ADA-accessible nature playground area and nature play discovery trail
- Beginner bike skills trail on easy rolling terrain and built with various materials
- Slower-moving water play areas
- Passive recreation areas
- Multiple shelter areas, including a large group shelter. Learn about park shelter reservations and permits
The nature area features native grasses, habitat areas for environmental diversity, areas that improve water quality before it reaches St. Vrain Creek, and access to St. Vrain Creek. Historical and ecological interpretation areas include information on the Dickens family, pond ecology, and native fish.
Dickens Farm Nature Area was selected as the 2020 recipient of the "Parks and Trails" Award for a large community given out by the Colorado chapter of the American Public Works Association (CO APWA).
Float Course
The jewel of Dickens Farm Nature Area is a floating course along St. Vrain Creek open to tubes, kayaks, paddleboards, and small, non-motorized boats. A designated open water access point at Main Street and takeout points east of Martin Street and at the 119th Street trailhead are marked by signs. There is no cost to use the St. Vrain Creek. Users must provide their own float devices (as listed above).
The distance from the access point at Main Street to the takeout just east of Martin Street is approximately 0.6 miles in the water and an approximate 0.75-mile walk from the takeout point back to the access point.
The float from Main Street to the 119th Street Trailhead takeout is approximately 1.5 miles, and the walk back along the St. Vrain Greenway trail is approximately 1.8 miles.
See a map detailing access points and takeout points.
RENTALS: Tubes are available at Angles Sports Exchange.
Remember that any time you enter the creek, it is at your own risk.
Learn more about recreational uses of the St. Vrain Creek
Parking
Parking options include a centrally located parking lot accessed from Boston Avenue and on-street parking along Boston. Public parking spots are available north of the Harvest Junction North shopping center (near Walgreens, Best Buy, and Dick’s Sporting Goods). These public spots are labeled. Any other parking is at the user’s own risk.
There is no public parking near the takeout downstream of Martin Street (near BioLife Plasma Services, Taco Bell, and Hilton Garden Inn).
Users can float past the Martin Street takeout to an additional takeout point at the 119th Street Trailhead. The trailhead, located on the western side of 119th Street, south of Ken Pratt Boulevard and north of St. Vrain Creek, offers public parking.
Artwork
The Art in Public Places Commission sought to honor the 2013 Flood with artwork that would celebrate the resiliency and how the community and beyond came together during that difficult time. Artist Joshua Wiener's proposal of "Rejuvenation," celebrating the power of the water, the strength of the people, and the community, was chosen by a selection panel. This project has been installed in the Dickens Farm Nature Area and was dedicated in 2020.
History
The site was previously known as Pavlakis Open Space and was first master-planned in 2001 as part of the St. Vrain Greenway Master Plan. The City Council adopted the name Dickens Farm Park at its July 9, 2013, meeting. Dickens was the original homesteader of the property and a Longmont founder. The name was updated to Dickens Farm Nature Area in 2016. The nature area fully opened in the spring of 2020.
