Located in Denver’s largest urban park, City Park Nature Play is a dynamic, four-acre natural play space designed within a historic landscape to inspire curiosity, wonder, learning, exploration, and discovery. Shaped by extensive community input over five years, the project was designed by architecture, planning, and urban design firm Dig Studio in collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) and Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR).

City Park Nature Play offers individuals and families from all walks of life the chance to explore the diverse sights, sounds, and sensations of Colorado’s wild natural beauty—without ever leaving the city.

Central to the design is the restored DeBoer Waterway, reimagined as a natural creek bed that illustrates water conservation and stormwater management while serving as an educational and sustainable environmental feature. This waterway connects the eight Colorado ecosystems showcased in the Denver Museum’s Explore Colorado Diorama Hall to their natural representations in the park, offering immersive, science-based play experiences that bring these habitats to life.

Featuring a variety of play elements including naturalistic climbing structures, slides, and swings, the park offers opportunities for unstructured play, exploration, and discovery, along with risk-taking elements to develop coordination and problem-solving. A highlight is the 20-foot-tall Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep play structure, complemented by other animal-inspired features that celebrate Colorado’s diverse wildlife alongside native plantings that support local pollinators throughout the park. Every feature has been carefully crafted so kids of all abilities can fully engage with the environment, ensuring that nature-based play is available to everyone, regardless of background or ability.

Designed with accessibility, sustainability, and creativity in mind, City Park Nature Play invites the public to connect with both the museum and nature like never before. The $7.9 million project revitalizes one of Denver’s most cherished parks, creates new connections to the museum, and delivers a year-round destination where families can connect, communities can come together, and kids can fall in love with science and Colorado’s natural beauty.

All photos courtesy of Jess Blackwell Photography.