Field Trips to the greenway

Come out and explore the Sand Creek Greenway! The Greenway provides a wonderful outdoor classroom that encourages curiosity, discovery, and self-exploration. Filled with diverse wildlife and plant species, accessible open space parks, and the Sand Creek, the Greenway is the perfect place to bring your group for the day!

See You On The Greenway

We believe all folks should have the opportunity to create meaningful connections and memories in nature. We are happy to help facilitate those connections with you, your friends, and your family.

We offer a variety of fun and engaging environmental education programs for youth and adults. Our programs can be designed as single opportunities or as a program series.

We honor the diverse ways folks interact with the outdoor space and will happily work with you to create a perfectly cultivated experience for you and your group!

Youth Programs

  • Wildlife Detectives

    Whose tracks are those? Youth will learn how to identify and read the scat, tracks, and other signs wildlife leave behind.

  • Bugs Life

    Youth will learn what makes a bug a bug, the importance of pollinators and then go out on the trail for a bug hunt!

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

    Youth learn how long trash stays in the landfill, the impact of trash on the planet, and what they can do to help!

  • Outdoor Survival

    Youth will learn about basic outdoor survival needs, the dangers of cold and heat, navigation, fire and shelter building, and first aid.

  • Water and You

    What is a watershed? How can you tell if water is polluted? How do humans and wildlife depend on water? Youth will answer all of these questions and more by exploring Sand Creek!

  • Soil Science

    Youth will dive into the world of soil by learning about the different types of soil, soil nutrients and why soil is so important for life on earth.

  • Urban Wildlife

    What wildlife lives near you? What does wildlife need to survive? Youth will answer these questions through wildlife observation and learning about prey and predator relationships.

  • Thriving Ecosystems

    Youth will learn what an ecosystem is, discuss essential habitat needs for plants and animals, and the types of ecosystems found in the Metro area.

  • Naturalist Artists

    Youth will practice mindfulness in the outdoors through fun art projects like painting and sculpture using natural items.

  • Birds Eye View

    Learn about bird adaptations, migration and other survival strategies, and the amazing diversity of bird life along the Greenway.

  • Wildfire 101

    Discover the positive and negative impacts of wildfires in Colorado and the change of wildfire regimes over time.

  • STEM in Indigenous Knowledge

    Connect the indigenous teachings of the Ute Indians to STEM through various activities like shelter engineering, plant science, math for beadwork and travel, and technology for basketry and clothing.

  • Create Your Own

    Have something else in mind? We would be happy to design your own Sand Creek Adventure program. Just let us know what you are looking for and we will see what we can do!

Adult Programs

  • Birding

    Explore the Greenway and learn about the local birds who call this area home.

  • Resilient Communities Walking for Health

    Going outside has many health benefits. Grab a health metrics watch from us and head out on the trail to help us gather data on various health metrics as you recreate.

  • Pollinator Garden Maintenance

    Learn about important local pollinators and essential habitat needs and get your hands dirty by helping us maintain our pollinator gardens in Commerce City and Aurora!

  • Butterfly Monitoring

    In partnership with the Butterfly Pavillion, participate in a community science project to help conserve Colorado butterflies. Attend a training and then get to work!

    *seasonal

  • Insect Collection and Identification Walks

    Learn about the insects on the Greenway by collecting and identifying any interesting species you may come across.

  • Ride/Walk and Report

    Ride or walk any 2-mile section of the Greenway and report any trail maintenance needs or other observations. Can be done on your own.

  • Mindfulness in Nature

    Participate in a naturalist lead sensory nature walk along the Greenway. We will engage our senses, practice breathing techniques, and revel in the beauty of nature during this slowed paced walk.

The listed youth and adult programs are a sampling of our programs. If you are interested in additional content or are looking to align programs with curriculum standards, we can work with you to develop a program or program series that works best for your group. 

We offer one-time programs in addition to program series. Program series require additional consultation as we want to make sure our goals are aligned. If you are interested in a program series, we will reach out to you to discuss possibilities. 

All of our programs can be adapted to any group. 

Schedule a program with us on the greenway!

Program Cost: 

Due to generous funding from Great Outdoors Colorado and SSA, youth and family programs for participants residing in Montbello, Northeast Parkhill, Northwest Aurora, and Commerce City are free! For all other areas across the Denver metro area and adult-specific programs, programs range from $1-$5 per person per program.