Bluff Lake Nature Center seen on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The nature center will re-open to the public on Monday, Feb. 16 after a multimillion dollar renovation.
McKenzie Lange/ CPR News
Updated at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
Central Park’s wildlife haven, the Bluff Lake Nature Center, is celebrating its grand reopening on Saturday after an $8.5 million upgrade.
The 123-acre preserve, with a mile-long trail around Bluff Lake, has served as an outdoor nature education facility for more than 30 years. Before that, the land was an inaccessible “crash zone” for the former Stapleton International Airport.
Upgrades to the center include a small campus with an indoor classroom, outdoor educational spaces and an administrative building for the nonprofit that runs the refuge.
Bluff Lake is just east of Peoria Street and is bordered by Sand Creek.
The free, all-ages event will run from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. On the schedule are a 10:30 a.m. ribbon cutting, tours of the new campus, face painting, snacks and activities led by Bluff Lake staff about the center’s programming. There will be prizes available, including a tent and backpacks.
The campus is located at 11255 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The center’s parking lots will be closed, so plan to bike, walk or roll.
It’s owned and managed by the Bluff Lake Nature Center, a nonprofit organization that uses the site as a field trip destination and an outdoor classroom for homeschool and summer camp programs.
Prior to the upgrades, the area had little infrastructure beyond a pavilion and a staff building.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated the date of the reopening celebration.