Denver Washington Park Loop Run From the Rec Center With a Day Pass
Updated October 9, 2026
This short run of about 1.8 km circles Smith Lake inside Washington Park, mostly on park paths, with brief stretches on the park drive and through two small parking lots. Run it twice for about 3.6 km. It starts and ends at the Washington Park Recreation Center, which sells single visits.
On any morning, Washington Park is full of runners. A flat gravel path of about four kilometers circles the outside of the park, past two lakes and a set of old flower gardens, and the paved Loop Road inside it has its own lane for people on foot. This route sticks to the north end, around Smith Lake, and the Washington Park Recreation Center sits right beside the lake, so you start and finish at the locker room. Denver's altitude is about a mile, so start easy and expect to breathe harder than usual even on flat ground. An early October snow can leave the paths slushy or icy in the shade for a day, though it usually melts quickly in the sun. Stash your bag in the locker room while you run, with a lock of your own, and check with the desk on the way out, because some visits are good for one entry only. As of October 2026, Bounce lists Denver luggage storage from $3.95 a day for anything you can't bring to the gym.
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The run: Smith Lake loop, Washington Park
It is flat, short and stays inside the park, with Smith Lake beside you for most of the way and the flower gardens at the southwest corner. About 0.25 km is on the park drive or through two small parking lots, so watch for cars and bikes there. One lap is only about 1.8 km, so most runners will want two laps, or a lap of the lake path on top. The park gets busy on weekends, so treat this as an easy run rather than a fast one, and go early for quieter paths.
- Distance
- 1.8 km (1.1 mi)
- Start
- Washington Park Recreation Center
From the rec center, take the path north along its east side, cross the small parking lot and run west on the lakeshore path along the south shore. Bear southwest, cross the park drive into the flower gardens on the park's west side and loop through them on the gravel paths. Cross East Exposition Avenue and run north on the path along the west side of Smith Lake. At the Dos Chappell Bathhouse, go through the small lot beside it and join the paved Smith Lake Loop path on the north shore. Run east along the lake, take the short bike path to the park's east edge, and turn south on the gravel path just inside the park along Franklin Street, on the park side of the street. At Exposition, go a few steps west and follow the park drive south for about 40 m past the Wynken, Blynken and Nod statue by the Eugene Field Cottage, then cut west through the lot north of the rec center back to the lakeshore path. Run west along the south shore past the boathouse and the boat rental hut, then take the paths south and east around the north side of the rec center, over a footbridge, to finish. The start and finish share a short stretch of the south shore path. One lap is about 1.8 km. For about 3.6 km, run it twice, or add a lap of the Smith Lake Loop path, about 1 km, when you reach the north shore. The route stays north of the rec center, off the paths south of it and on the west side of South Humboldt Street beside it.
Open the route mapA city recreation center on the edge of the park, with locker rooms, a weight room, a cardio room and a lap pool. The single visit price is listed on the city's membership page. It is closed on city holidays, so check the city calendar first.
- Price
- As of October 2026, $6 for a single adult visit, ages 25 to 64
- Showers
- Yes
- Hours
- Mon to Thu 6 am to 9 pm, Fri 6 am to 8 pm, Sat 8 am to 4 pm, Sun 11 am to 4 pm
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