Explore Sheridan from three very different angles: the Bear Creek Trail, the Sheridan Recreation Center, and the history of its early place names. The trail runs through the city; the center brings together sports, drop-in classes, and creative activities. There is also Sheridan Celebrates, an annual festival. If you’re looking for a destination that brings together outdoor activities, recreation, and history, these topics offer several starting points for planning your own trip.
The Bear Creek Trail Through Sheridan
The Bear Creek Trail runs about 1.5 miles from east to west through Sheridan. In the east, it connects to the Mary Carter Greenway Trail. Along the way through Sheridan, there are three bridges over Bear Creek. The approximate length and east-west direction describe the route; the connection is specifically in the east, while the three crossings are over Bear Creek.
For orientation, the City of Sheridan provides online maps of its parks, facilities, and trails. You can use these maps to keep the city’s offerings in view as you plan.
Sports and Creative Activities
The Sheridan Recreation Center offers basketball, racquetball, pickleball, and classes. A day pass without advance registration includes access to exercise equipment, the gymnasium, racquetball courts, games in the lobby, the Creativity Lab, and drop-in fitness classes. The center offers both sports activities and spaces for taking part and getting creative.
The Creativity Lab is stocked with art supplies and found materials that can be used to create artwork. Together with the sports offerings, it provides another way to spend time at the Recreation Center. Since programs, schedules, materials, and the services included with a day pass may change, check the center’s current information before your visit.
Festival and Local History
Sheridan Celebrates is an annual festival in Sheridan. If you’d like to plan your stay around the festival, check the specific dates and program for your visit.
An important figure in Sheridan’s early history was Swedish immigrant Peter Magnus: he arrived in 1859 and began farming. He also introduced sugar beets to Colorado. In 1873, Magnus platted the first town and named it Petersburg. Petersburg became one of the most important towns south of Denver along the Santa Fe Trail.
Another historic place marker followed in 1887: Isaac McBroom laid out a six-block, L-shaped plan and called it Sheridan Junction. Petersburg and Sheridan Junction represent different stages and names in the area’s history; the sequence of events helps distinguish them. The landscape is part of this history, too: land was claimed and a cabin built along the Platte River and Montana Creek, now called Bear Creek.
Discover more destinations: Aurora, Englewood, Castlewood, Littleton, Glendale, Centennial, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village.
For the broader travel overview: Arapahoe.
