Moving to Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Things to Do in Highlands Ranch
Your first weekends, sorted: the four rec centers your assessment already paid for, an 8,200-acre wilderness area with elk in it, a stone mansion with free tours, 26 parks, Town Center, where to eat, and the events that come around every year.
By Connor Tien, DougCo Social · Updated September 2026 · Photo: HRCA
The thing to understand about Highlands Ranch is that most of the fun is already paid for. The HRCA assessment on every home covers four full recreation centers and a private trail system in an 8,200-acre wilderness area, the Metro District's property taxes cover 26 parks, four dog parks and 70-plus miles of trail, and the Mansion tours are free. This is the list I give people who just moved here: the rec centers first, because you are a member on day one, then the outdoors, then the history, then Town Center, then the calendar. Every hour and address was checked with HRCA, the Metro District, Douglas County or the organizer on September 29, 2026.
The Four Rec Centers
Every HRCA member can use all four. Hours and features from HRCA's own pages.
Photo: HRCA
Northridge
The original, expanded to 62,600 square feet in 2018: covered tennis pavilion, ten racquetball courts, an aqua climbing wall and diving well in the indoor pool, an outdoor lap and leisure pool, hot yoga and martial arts studios, a golf simulator, a dry sauna. Weekdays 5am to 9pm, weekends 7am to 6pm.
Photo: HRCA
Eastridge
Two indoor and two outdoor pools (the outdoor youth pool has slides), a large climbing wall, two gyms, a steam room, sand volleyball, and HRCA's administrative and membership offices. Weekdays 5am to 9pm, Saturday 7am to 8pm, Sunday 7am to 6pm.
Photo: HRCA
Westridge
Just refreshed. Indoor turf field, spin studio, five batting cages, six outdoor pickleball courts, two cold plunges and an infrared sauna, and the zero-depth outdoor whale pool with slides in summer. Weekdays 5am to 9pm, Saturday 7am to 8pm, Sunday 7am to 6pm.
Photo: HRCA
Southridge
The newest: an indoor lazy river and current channel, a warm-water fitness pool, a zero-depth leisure pool with a water play set, an outdoor resort pool, five tennis courts, a golf simulator, the pottery studio and the Wildcat Mountain Auditorium. Weekdays 5am to 9pm, Saturday 7am to 8pm, Sunday 7am to 6pm.
Local tip: Your membership card is the key to all of this and to the Backcountry trails. The title company's paperwork reaches HRCA four to six weeks after closing; then walk into any rec center with a photo ID and proof of address, get your picture taken and pay $8. The checklist has the details.
Get Outside
HRCA's Backcountry, the Metro District's parks and trails, the county park and the canal.
Photo: HRCA
The Backcountry Wilderness Area
A conservation property Shea Homes conveyed to HRCA in 2006 and 2009, with elk, deer, wild turkeys, coyotes, golden eagles and, since this spring, bison. Members get 11.2 miles of private single track in two systems: Wildcat Mountain (5.5 miles, mostly beginner, from 11950 Monarch Boulevard or Rocky Heights Middle School, closed January 1 through March 31 for wintering wildlife and eagle nesting) and Highlands Point (about 10 miles, beginner to intermediate, from Mountain Vista High School or the county trailhead at 11700 Grigs Road). The Douglas County East/West Regional Trail adds 12 public miles through it. Bikes yes; dogs only on the Rocky Gulch Trail and the county trail, leashed.
Read about the bison →Highland Heritage Regional Park
The county's park in Highlands Ranch, open one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset: 3 miles of paved trail, six shelters, three synthetic-turf and four natural-turf fields, a fitness court, a playground, an amphitheater for HRCA's summer concerts, and the Hound Hill dog park (run by the Metro District). Two lots, 342 spaces.
Redstone Park
The Metro District's largest park, opened in 2000: the Batter Up batting cages, a skate park, tennis courts, a fishing pond and pier, sports fields, a playground and the Rover's Run dog park. The District's Parks, Recreation and Open Space Service Center is here too, with free trail maps.
Civic Green Park
The front lawn: interactive fountains in front of the Case Pavilion stage from mid-May to mid-September, 10am to 8pm; a playground and overlook stream (the playground is being replaced through late November 2026); and the stage for the Beer Festival, KidFest, the Ice Cream Social and the Summer Sunset Concert. No dogs, and dismount at the gate.
Cheese Ranch Historic and Natural Area
The site of the Big Dry Creek Cheese Ranch that John Welte started in 1879 with 21 cows, now a Metro District natural area with a community garden, a fishing pond and walking trails. The District's other fishing ponds are at Fly'n B Park (2910 Plaza Drive) and Redstone.
Paintbrush Park
One of the Metro District's 26: a playground with a sand play area and water play table, sports fields, a bocce court, cornhole boards, grills and a shelter. The District's park directory lists every park with its amenities; this one is the template for what a neighborhood park here includes.
The High Line Canal Trail
The region's 71-mile linear park passes through Highlands Ranch, with the Metro District as one of the agencies that maintain it; the Conservancy's guide breaks it into 27 segments, and free maps are stocked at the Metro District office (62 Plaza Drive) and the Service Center at Redstone Park.
Local tip: Golf: the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch is an 18-hole, par-72, semi-private Hale Irwin design with The Grill as its restaurant, and The Links (5815 E Gleneagles Village Parkway) is a par-62 executive course with its own grill. The Metro District adds the West Fork disc golf course, four outdoor pickleball courts, the Lebsack Tennis Center and the Southpark Pickleball Complex. The parks guide has the rest.
The Mansion and the Historic Park
The Metro District's own property, free to visit, and about to get five times bigger.
The stone house at 9950 E Gateway Drive was started in 1891 by Samuel Allen Long on the homestead he called Rotherwood (the District found the word etched above the east porch door during the renovation), grew under John Springer, went through Waite Phillips, who first called it Highland Ranch, and Frank Kistler, who gave it its Tudor look and its Diamond K brand, and was the Phipps family's working ranch from 1937 to 1976. Shea Homes gave the Mansion and renovation funds to the Metro District in 2010; after an 18-month, $6 million restoration it opened to the public and to event rentals in June 2012. The District says the building is 27,000 square feet today, 22,000 historically, with 41,000 square feet of barns and ranch buildings around it.
Visiting is free: guided (about 60 to 90 minutes) and self-guided historic tours run during public open hours that shift around private events, so check the Mansion calendar, and book ahead for a group of eight or more. The Historic Park around it is roughly 50 acres today with 1.4 miles of soft-surface trail, open 5am to 8pm unless there is an event, and on April 30, 2026 Shea Homes conveyed another 197 acres of pastureland, 13 outbuildings and the windmill on the hill south of the house, so the park is growing to almost 250 acres. The District is planning it with the community through 2026 and expects a concept plan in 2027; it has already said there will be no sports fields, and the land stays a working cattle lease until then.
Town Center
The clock tower, the library, the Sunday market and the two biggest parties of the year.
Highlands Ranch Town Center is Shea Properties' 289,472-square-foot retail plaza at 9325 Dorchester Street, one of two adjacent marketplaces Shea developed, next to Civic Green Park, the Douglas County Libraries branch at 9292 S Ridgeline Boulevard and the transit center; the first businesses opened in 2004 (the AMC Highlands Ranch 24 nearby dates to 1997, per HRCA's timeline). The Sunday farmers market runs April through November, HRCA's Oktoberfest takes over the streets in late September, and Hometown Holiday lights the tree in December. Our Highlands Ranch directory has the shops and restaurants around it.
Eat and Drink
Our best-of guides are ranked from the directory and refreshed; these are the ones a newcomer asks for first.
With Kids
Where the strollers and the middle schoolers both end up.
Photo: HRCA
Camp Backcountry and school-break camps
HRCA's summer camp in the 8,200-acre wilderness area, plus Camp HRCA at the rec centers and school-break camps for fall and winter break. The Backcountry also runs preschool nature programs and a horse program for kids.
Photo: HRCA
Backcountry Outdoor Center
HRCA's gateway to the Backcountry: horseback lessons and guided trail rides, static and 3D archery ranges that are open to the public with a day-use or season pass, preschool nature programs, and the Nature Night Out evenings and Fall Fest at Base Camp.
Play Street Museum
An indoor children's museum built around themed play shops, the rainy-day answer for the under-eight crowd.
AMC Highlands Ranch 24
The 24-screen theater, open since 1997 per HRCA's timeline, for the rained-out Saturday.
Add the four rec center pools (Southridge's lazy river and Westridge's slides in particular), the Civic Green fountains all summer, the batting cages and skate park at Redstone, HRCA's KidFest at Civic Green in June and its Easter Egg Hunt in March, and the library's programs at 9292 S Ridgeline Boulevard. Our countywide things to do with kids guide and the family events calendar keep it current.
The Highlands Ranch Year
The events that come back every year, with the 2026 dates HRCA, the Metro District and the Mansion published.
Local tip: For the day-trip list, Chatfield State Park (5,381 acres, a swim beach, a marina, 197 campsites, 32.8 miles of trail) and Roxborough State Park (3,413 acres of red rock, 15 miles of trail, no dogs) are both just west, in Littleton and Roxborough per Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Douglas County things-to-do hub is the next page to read; for this weekend, it is This Weekend.
FAQ
Two answers. HRCA's 11.2 miles of private single track (the Wildcat Mountain and Highlands Point trail systems) are for HRCA members and their accompanied guests, and you show your rec center card; HRCA calls the trails its fifth recreation center. The 12 miles of the Douglas County East/West Regional Trail that run through the Backcountry are open to the general public, and so are the archery ranges with a day-use or season pass. Trail hours are sunrise to sunset, bikes are allowed on all trails, and dogs are allowed only on the Rocky Gulch Trail and the county trail, on leash.
Yes. The Metro District, which owns it, offers free guided and self-guided historic tours during public open hours that change month to month with private events, so check the Mansion calendar first; a guided tour runs about 60 to 90 minutes and groups of eight or more need a reservation. The surrounding Historic Park, about 50 acres today with 1.4 miles of soft-surface trail, is open 5am to 8pm unless closed for an event, and it is growing to almost 250 acres after Shea Homes conveyed 197 acres of ranchland on April 30, 2026.
HRCA holds it at Civic Green Park, 9370 S Ridgeline Boulevard, in late spring; the 2026 festival was Saturday, May 30, and HRCA's vendor calendar lists June 2027 for the next one. Proceeds go to the Highlands Ranch Community Scholarship Fund. In 2025 general admission was $40 ($35 early bird) for unlimited one-ounce samples and a souvenir glass, with a VIP tier; no strollers, glass or dogs in the park, and HRCA points parking to the Town Center garage.
Highlands Ranch Town Center on Sundays; HRCA's 2026 vendor calendar runs it April 5 through November 1, and the Denver Farmers Market organization operates it. Hours in past seasons were 10am to 2pm; confirm on HRCA's events calendar before you go.
The Metro District's community park next to Town Center at 9370 Ridgeline Boulevard: interactive plaza fountains in front of the Case Pavilion stage that run 10am to 8pm from mid-May to mid-September, an overlook stream and playground (closed for a playground replacement from September 8 through late November 2026), picnic shelters for up to 100 people, and the stage where the Summer Sunset Concert and drone show, the Beer Festival, KidFest and the Ice Cream Social happen. Dogs are not allowed except on the soft trails behind the stage, and riders dismount bikes and scooters at the park.
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More Highlands Ranch Guides
Photo: HRCA
Moving to Highlands Ranch
Cost of living from the Census, who actually runs an unincorporated community (the Metro District, HRCA, Douglas County), your water, power, gas and trash providers, the C-470 commute and a year at about 5,900 feet.
Photo: HRCA
Highlands Ranch Neighborhoods
Northridge, Eastridge, Westridge and Southridge, BackCountry, the golf club, Town Center and the 55-plus communities: what HRCA covers everywhere, which sub-associations add their own dues, and where the schools and rec centers sit.
Photo: HRCA
Highlands Ranch Schools
The four DCSD high schools (Highlands Ranch, Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge), the three schools consolidating in fall 2026, the four charters in town, and how assignment and open enrollment work.
Photo: HRCA
New Resident Checklist
Driver license in 30 days, plates in 90, emissions, voter registration, DougCoAlert, water that transfers with the title, your HRCA card, trash, the library and the local stuff, in order.
Sources
Acreage, hours, admission and addresses are HRCA's, the Metro District's, Douglas County's and the Mansion's; event dates are the organizers'. Read on September 29, 2026. Photos are HRCA's, used with credit.
- HRCA, Northridge Rec Center: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Northridge-Rec-Center
- HRCA, Eastridge Rec Center: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Eastridge-Rec-Center
- HRCA, Westridge Rec Center: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Westridge-Rec-Center
- HRCA, Southridge Rec Center: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Southridge-Rec-Center
- HRCA, Pools: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Pools
- HRCA, Backcountry Wilderness Area: hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Backcountry-Wilderness-Area
- HRCA, Backcountry Wilderness Area Trails (miles, trailheads, rules, closures): hrcaonline.org/Recreation/Backcountry-Wilderness-Area/Trails
- HRCA, Events (vendor calendar with 2026 and 2027 dates): hrcaonline.org/Activities/Events
- HRCA, Highlands Ranch Beer Festival: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/beer-festival
- HRCA, Summer Concert Series: hrcaonline.org/Events/Summer-Concert-Series
- HRCA, Oktoberfest Celebration: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/oktoberfest-celebration
- HRCA, Hometown Holiday: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/hometown-holiday
- HRCA, Backcountry Wilderness Half Marathon: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/backcountry-wilderness-half-marathon
- HRCA, Fall Fest: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/fall-fest
- HRCA, Highlands Ranch Farmers' Market: hrcaonline.org/Events/Details/evr/10/highlands-ranch-farmers-market
- HRCA, Highlands Ranch History (AMC 1997, Civic Green 2005): hrcaonline.org/About/History
- Highlands Ranch Metro District, Parks (26 parks, addresses, amenities): highlandsranch.org/explore/parks
- Highlands Ranch Metro District, Civic Green Park (fountains, 2026 events, rules): highlandsranch.org/explore/fountains-at-civic-green-park
- Highlands Ranch Metro District, Open Space and Trails: highlandsranch.org/explore/open-space-trails
- Highlands Ranch Metro District, Historic Park planning: highlandsranch.org/news-events/project-updates/historic-park
- Highlands Ranch Mansion, Open Hours and Tours: highlandsranchmansion.com/open-hours-and-tours
- Highlands Ranch Mansion, Historic Park: highlandsranchmansion.com/historic-park
- Highlands Ranch Mansion, Last Stop (October 31, 2026): highlandsranchmansion.com/2026/01/13/last-stop-oct2026
- Highlands Ranch Mansion, Holiday Celebration (December 5, 2026): highlandsranchmansion.com/2026/01/14/holiday-celebration-dec2026
- Douglas County, Highland Heritage Regional Park: douglasco.gov/parks-trails-building-grounds/parks-trails/highland-heritage-regional-park-and-trail/
- High Line Canal Conservancy, Guide (71 miles; free maps in Highlands Ranch): highlinecanal.org/guide
- University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch: dugchr.com/
- The Links Golf Course: thelinksgolfcourse.com/
- Shea Properties, Highlands Ranch Town Center: sheaproperties.com/portfolio/highlands-ranch-town-center/
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Chatfield State Park: cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Chatfield
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Roxborough State Park: cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Roxborough
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