Green Valley Ranch

Green Valley Ranch sits on Denver's far northeast edge, on the way to the airport. The city's official name for the area is Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge runs along its northern edge. Peña Boulevard is the main road in and out.

A subdivision built from 1992 on

Oakwood Homes started building here in 1992 and never really stopped. By 2018 the subdivision had about 8,600 homes on 2,750 acres, and Oakwood was planning 360 more on an 80-acre parcel next to the golf course. The city adopted the Far Northeast Area Plan in 2019 to guide what comes next in this part of town.

The houses and the streets

Most of what you'll tour went up in the early 2000s, so expect newer construction, attached garages and builder floor plans rather than old brick. Oakwood is still selling here, with its Carriage House, Meridian and Heritage collections and a newer phase called the American Dream Collection. If you want a new build without leaving the city of Denver, this is the place to start.

The area was laid out around the car, and sidewalks, bike lanes and transit access still have gaps. Plan on driving for most errands.

Golf, the rec center and the refuge

Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, at 4900 Himalaya Road, is a public course with an 18-hole championship layout and a 9-hole par-3 course whose holes run 50 to 130 yards. It's home to the Colorado Open, and the Smokehouse restaurant is on site.

The Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center at 4890 Argonne Way was built in 2006. Its indoor pool opened on November 16, 2024, finishing a promise the city made with its 2007 bond. The gym is shared with a school, so daytime use is limited during the school year. Town Center Park has summer concerts and a farmers market, and there's a skate park, a disc golf course and tennis courts nearby.

North of the houses, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal refuge covers about 15,000 acres, with about 20 miles of trails and an 11-mile wildlife drive. The High Line Canal ends here too: the city's concrete trail segment runs from near 40th Avenue at the Aurora line to Picadilly Road, where the canal's working stretch stops at mile 66.3.

Eating close to home

The Green Valley Ranch Beer Garden, at 4995 Argonne Street, has covered and open-air seating for brats, pretzels and a beer, and it made 5280's list of the area's top spots. Coriander, at 4968 Tower Road, is an Indian restaurant that shows up on the same kind of lists, with tandoori dishes and curries on the menu.

Getting to downtown and the airport

Peña Boulevard is the spine. Coming from I-70, you get exits at 40th Avenue, Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, 56th Avenue and Tower Road before E-470 and the airport. RTD's A Line has two stops nearby, 61st and Peña and 40th Avenue and Airport Boulevard-Gateway Park. The line opened April 22, 2016, and takes about 37 minutes between Union Station and the airport. If you fly often or work downtown, living close to one of those stations saves a lot of parking and traffic.