City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 425-1097

Address: 9805 W. 88th Ave.

Description: Standley Lake, the big north Jefferson County lake bordered on the north and east by Westminster and on the south by Arvada, is a popular location for windsurfing, camping, fishing, bird watching, and ambling along the shore on trails. Motorboats are allowed there between May 1 and September 30, but you need a permit for boats with more than 20 horsepower, and the number of permits is limited. Call the number above for more information. There are no rental facilities at Standley.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 460-9690

Address: 10455 Sheridan Blvd.

Description: City Park has its own climbing wall in the gymnasium, where people can practice or take climbing lessons while the basketballs bounce behind them. Classes are offered for beginner, intermediate, and advanced climbers. Or you can take a short orientation, then pay a low drop-­in fee.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 279-3080

Description: Technical climbing instruction is available from the grandfather of Colorado mountaineering organizations, the Colorado Mountain Club, but classes are offered only once a year. Basic rock climbing is offered in May and June, and the intermediate class is usually in August or September. Membership is required, but reduced rates for Friends of Colorado Mountain Club memberships are available for out-­of-­staters.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 494-3943

Address: 9 Kneale Rd.

Description: No discussion of mountain climbing can occur without mentioning Eldorado Canyon State Park. It’s where athletes from around the world gather to practice their skills, swap stories, and train for the really big mountains. The park is day-­use only and boasts 500 routes that rise as much as 1,500 feet above the canyon floor. The easiest are used for climbing lessons; the most challenging are reserved for the experts. Because the area is a state park, expect to pay a use fee and then relax at picnic tables or by biking or fishing in the stream.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 756-3100

Address: 1416 Platte St.

Description: This gigantic store tempts visitors with its climbing wall at the entrance. REI offers a variety of classes for all levels. Kids climb free on Saturday, and free clinics are offered monthly. Call for details and times. REI’s wall is designed for an introduction to climbing so it isn’t equal to the rock gyms mentioned above. Beyond the wall, the store offers a full range of retail equipment for climbing and mountaineering. Walls and lessons also are available at REI stores at 1789 28th St., Boulder (303-583-9970); 9637 E. County Line Rd., Englewood (303-858-1726); and 5375 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood (303-932-0600).

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 733-8810

Address: 1912 S. Broadway

Description: This climbing gym offers more than 12,000 square feet of climbing space, including a 35-foot roof climb, 40 top ropes, five lead walls where climbers can get horizontal, and a separate “bouldering” area where you can free-­climb. A complete lesson program is available for all levels, and a full retail section will fill your every climbing need. Lesson prices vary depending on level and number of people, so call ahead.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 973-9614

Address: 10850 W. Sundown Trail

Description: Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1971, Arrowhead is a par-72, 18-hole course that winds 6,682 yards through a landscape of scrub oak and magnificent red sandstone rock formations. Arrowhead is regarded as one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the state, and it regularly makes Golf Digest’s top 20 list of places to play in Colorado. Tee times can be made up to 7 days in advance, with greens fees ranging from $60 to $135 depending on day and time of year. No denim is allowed, and collared shirts are required. Take I-25 south to C-470 west, exit onto Santa Fe Drive, and go south 4 miles to Titan Parkway. Turn right onto Titan Parkway, follow it until it becomes Rampart Range Road, then follow the signs to Arrowhead.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Address: 200 Clubhouse Dr.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 986-7888

Address: 13410 W. Morrison Rd.

Description: Operated by the city of Lakewood, Fox Hollow is a 27-hole course you play by booking two of the three 9-hole venues, each of which offers a unique layout ranging from wide-­open links to tree-­lined river bottom to rugged canyon-­lands. Part of the course is on a mesa with spectacular views of Denver and the plains beyond. Call for tee times up to 6 days in advance, wear appropriate golf attire to the course, and think about adding a third 9 holes to your round for an extra $25. Take C-470 south to the Morrison Road exit, then go east on Morrison Road for 3.5 miles. The course, which is well signed, will be on your right.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 438-8997

Address: 10801 Legacy Ridge Pkwy.

Description: Although parts of Legacy Ridge’s 18-hole, par-72 course are laid out among housing developments, the majority of the holes either wind through protected wetlands or traverse a ridge that offers spectacular views of the Front Range of the Rockies. Renowned Ohio architect Arthur Hills designed this course in 1994, and it regularly makes the top 10 in player polls. If you play late in the day, be sure to enjoy a classic Colorado sunset from the outdoor deck of the clubhouse bar and grill. From Denver take I-25 north to US 36 west, toward Boulder. Exit US 36 at the 104th Avenue exit, and head east on 104th Avenue to Legacy Ridge Parkway. Turn left and watch for the clubhouse on your left.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Address: 6827 County Rd. 51

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (720) 733-3500

Address: 2156 Red Hawk Ridge Dr.

Description: Red Hawk Ridge, south of Denver in Castle Rock, is a virtual cousin to nearby private Castle Pines, the country club famous for The International pro-­golf tournament. Designed by Jim Engh and opened in 1999, the par 72, 6,942-yard Red Hawk Ridge received immediate rave reviews in national golf publications for its dramatic setting and design, including the 15th hole, a 528-yard par 4 that shoots blind to a plateau, then downhill into a valley where the green lies at the bottom. Tee times can be made up to 7 days in advance. From I-25 take the Wolfensberger exit and turn west after approximately 0.5 miles. Turn right onto Red Hawk Drive and go about another 0.25 mile; the golf course is on the left.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Address: 13300 Riverdale Rd.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 933-3636

Address: 11500 N. Roxborough Rd.

Description: The stables at the Chatfield State Recreation Area provide a serene riding setting with great foothill views. Rides can be available as early as March or April, depending on how wet the spring is, but regular summer hours begin May 15 and last through September 15. Reservations are required, and a State Park pass must be purchased to enter the park. Hayrack rides and pony rides also are available. To get there from C-470, take the Wadsworth exit south and turn left at the third stoplight, into the park. From there, follow the signs.

City: Denver, CO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (303) 690-8235

Address: 4201 S. Parker Rd.

Description: With open meadows, natural grasslands, and wooded areas, Cherry Creek Reservoir State Recreation Area is a great spot for a ride. You need reservations to ride here, and a State Park pass must be purchased to enter the park. Paint Horse Stables also runs the Chatfield Stables; operating dates and programs are similar.