Gold Strike Park Schematic Design

Arvada, CO

A community-guided design effort leads to creating a creekfront gateway destination and the next great park amenity for Arvada.

Gold Strike Park sits on the eastern gateway to the City of Arvada at the confluence of Clear Creek and Ralston Creek. From the first occupation of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, and Lakota nations to the discovery of gold, which began the Colorado Gold Rush, the site has much to teach visitors of all walks of life and holds special significance to the city.

Wenk Associates led the design and public engagement for the schematic design after having completed the concept design for the park as part of the Arvada Clear Creek Corridor Master Plan. The final design for the 7.6-acre park features a large nature playground with access to water and a low-flow crossing at Ralston Creek, a bouldering element with additional access to Ralston Creek further south, a communal flexible event lawn with an adjacent educational pavilion, plumbed restrooms, and two mid-sized parking lots as well as a bus drop-off for school events. To the west and across a centralized pedestrian bridge lie native plant and interpretive gardens with a shaded picnic area and a 25,000 square foot flexible space that might include a bike park, dog park, or community garden.

To support the tremendous design effort, the City and consultant team completed a robust public engagement that incorporated feedback from the public at large, Arvada Parks Advisory Committee, Arvada Historical Society, Mile High Flood District, Jefferson and Adams Counties, the City of Wheat Ridge, Highland Hills Recreation, as well as the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.

Visit ArvadaCO.gov/GoldStrikePark to explore the final plan.

Wenk Associates is currently working with the City of Arvada to develop the construction documents for Gold Strike Park, with the project anticipated to break ground in the fall of 2025.

Project Team:
Wenk Associates – (Lead Consultant) Landscape Architect
NHN Consulting – Public Engagement
ICON Engineering – Civil and Water Resources Engineering
Birch Ecology – Ecologist
Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds – Nature Play