Clear Creek Management Strategies

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Clear Creek Season 2025 Comes to a Close

The 2025 Creek Season has come to an end. City staff have been hard at work sorting through all the initial data and feedback from the season, giving Council and the community a fuller view of the impact of recreation along Clear Creek on the community.

The first presentation post-creek season on Clear Creek Management Strategies was given by Carly Lorentz, Deputy City Manager, at the Oct. 14, 2025, City Council meeting. The recap included this year's strategies, successes, and challenges, and plans and recommendations for the 2026 season View a recording of the meeting on the City of Golden website, as well as the presentation and council memo to the right in the documents tab at the top. Community members are invited to share their feedback at the annual Clear Creek Management Strategies Public Meeting in January 2026.

Clear Creek Management Strategies Public Meeting Scheduled -- Jan. 20, 2026

The City is hosting a Public Meeting in the Golden Community Center on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at 5:30 PM to discuss management strategies for the 2026 summer season along Clear Creek.

If you were not able to attend in person, please provide your comments below for a number of topics related to the creek through Jan. 31, 2026.



Background

As Golden residents know, May and June mark the beginning of another bustling summer season in our vibrant city. With the Clear Creek corridor becoming an increasingly popular destination over the years, the City has taken steps to ensure that everyone can equally enjoy the beauty and activities of Clear Creek, as well as its surrounding trails and parks, no matter their interests.

To foster community involvement and address evolving needs, we host annual community meetings early in the calendar year, before creek season begins, to gather valuable feedback from residents and visitors alike. Additionally, during the summer months, City staff meet weekly to monitor conditions and citizen concerns and adapt our approach, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone who visits this treasured area. Following the Creek season, City staff present to City Council in the fall on projects and strategies implemented in the season.

Public Comment Opportunities

The City of Golden Clear Creek Legislative Subcommittee invites members of the Golden community to provide public comments on items and ideas related to Clear Creek. Members of the public can make their voices heard through the following ways:

  1. Providing a public comment by attending a City Council meeting in person.
  2. Writing an email to CouncilComments@cityofgolden.net, which will be published on the City's websites for public viewing and discussion.
  3. Attending a meeting of the Mobility & Transportation Advisory Board or the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Information on upcoming Council and board meetings is available at www.cityofgolden.gov/Agendas. You can also use the "Ideas and Discussion" tool below to ask questions, discuss Creek related topics with other users, and provide input on Creek management.

Clear Creek Season 2025 Comes to a Close

The 2025 Creek Season has come to an end. City staff have been hard at work sorting through all the initial data and feedback from the season, giving Council and the community a fuller view of the impact of recreation along Clear Creek on the community.

The first presentation post-creek season on Clear Creek Management Strategies was given by Carly Lorentz, Deputy City Manager, at the Oct. 14, 2025, City Council meeting. The recap included this year's strategies, successes, and challenges, and plans and recommendations for the 2026 season View a recording of the meeting on the City of Golden website, as well as the presentation and council memo to the right in the documents tab at the top. Community members are invited to share their feedback at the annual Clear Creek Management Strategies Public Meeting in January 2026.

Clear Creek Management Strategies Public Meeting Scheduled -- Jan. 20, 2026

The City is hosting a Public Meeting in the Golden Community Center on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at 5:30 PM to discuss management strategies for the 2026 summer season along Clear Creek.

If you were not able to attend in person, please provide your comments below for a number of topics related to the creek through Jan. 31, 2026.



Background

As Golden residents know, May and June mark the beginning of another bustling summer season in our vibrant city. With the Clear Creek corridor becoming an increasingly popular destination over the years, the City has taken steps to ensure that everyone can equally enjoy the beauty and activities of Clear Creek, as well as its surrounding trails and parks, no matter their interests.

To foster community involvement and address evolving needs, we host annual community meetings early in the calendar year, before creek season begins, to gather valuable feedback from residents and visitors alike. Additionally, during the summer months, City staff meet weekly to monitor conditions and citizen concerns and adapt our approach, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone who visits this treasured area. Following the Creek season, City staff present to City Council in the fall on projects and strategies implemented in the season.

Public Comment Opportunities

The City of Golden Clear Creek Legislative Subcommittee invites members of the Golden community to provide public comments on items and ideas related to Clear Creek. Members of the public can make their voices heard through the following ways:

  1. Providing a public comment by attending a City Council meeting in person.
  2. Writing an email to CouncilComments@cityofgolden.net, which will be published on the City's websites for public viewing and discussion.
  3. Attending a meeting of the Mobility & Transportation Advisory Board or the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Information on upcoming Council and board meetings is available at www.cityofgolden.gov/Agendas. You can also use the "Ideas and Discussion" tool below to ask questions, discuss Creek related topics with other users, and provide input on Creek management.

  • 2026 Enforcement

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Focused enforcement on alcohol, smoking, grills, and leash violations
    • Used education-first approaches supported by ambassadors
    • Leveraged third-party parking management to enhance enforcement
    • Achieved high compliance despite reduced staffing

    Priorities for 2026

    • Maintain Community Service Officer staffing levels
    • Continue proactive enforcement with a visible presence
    • Support enforcement with improved signage and communication
    • Build on education-first strategies to increase voluntary compliance
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  • 2026 Safety

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Emphasized life jacket use and safe tubing practices
    • Increased ambassador presence during peak visitation times
    • Responded to a rise in swiftwater rescues, especially near diversion structures
    • Identified signage gaps near Vanover Park related to downstream hazards
    • Coordinated with fire and swiftwater training partners

    Priorities for 2026

    • Install improved, bilingual danger signage with international symbols
    • Add earlier and clearer warnings at multiple creek exit points
    • Improve tracking of all rescue assists, including non-dispatched incidents
    • Continue coordination with emergency and rescue partners
    • Explore partnerships for additional ambassador stations (e.g., Gateway Trailhead)
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  • 2026 Data Collection

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Analyzed camera and RFID data to track tubing activity and trends
    • Identified shifts in peak days, weekend patterns, and event impacts
    • Used live gauge sensors to measure attendance at major summer events
    • Evaluated policy impacts during Buffalo Bill Days and other special events

    Priorities for 2026

    • Shift emphasis toward camera-based data as the primary tracking tool
    • Continue collecting year-over-year data to inform policy and operations


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  • 2026 Parking

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Continued third-party parking enforcement to improve compliance
    • Maintained paid parking and no-parking zones along 10th Street
    • Managed parking at the Golden Community Center to protect member access
    • Used flaggers at key crossings to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety
    • Continued use of shuttles and alternative transportation options

    Priorities for 2026

    • Refine parking communications to improve understanding and compliance
    • Monitor long-term parking issues in high-impact areas
    • Adjust parking strategies at the Golden Community Center as needed
    • Continue shuttle service to reduce congestion during peak periods and events
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  • 2026 Physical Environment

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Conducted fish and macroinvertebrate sampling above and below the kayak course
    • Monitored creek conditions related to flow, temperature, and recreational impacts
    • Continued habitat monitoring to understand long-term environmental trends

    Priorities for 2026

    • Continue aquatic life monitoring to track year-over-year trends
    • Use data to guide future creek infrastructure and habitat improvements
    • Balance recreation use with long-term environmental stewardship
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  • 2026 Communications & Information

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    Efforts in 2025

    • Provided bilingual (English/Spanish) print materials, signage, and wayfinding throughout the creek corridor
    • Redesigned bridge signage using universal safety symbols
    • Produced a new creek safety video for tubing education
    • Maintained regular social media outreach on safety, rules, parking, and conditions
    • Published weekly Creek updates in the City’s Weekly Digest to improve transparency
    • Used ambassadors as on-site information points for visitors

    Priorities for 2026

    • Install new bridge banners across multiple creek crossings
    • Launch and promote the new creek safety video community-wide
    • Expand real-time information at ambassador stations (water level, hazards, weather, UV index)
    • Continue weekly Creek updates throughout the season
    • Review and refine print materials to improve clarity and visibility
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  • 2025 Communications & Information

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Efforts in 2024

    • Add an Ambassador Station with increased visibility and staffing at Vanover Park
    • Enhanced collateral including translating major materials and signage into Spanish
    • Updates sent throughout the season to 3,000 City Weekly Digest email subscribers with 60-68% open rate
    • Weekly posts about safety and logistics of the creek (not
    • advertising) reached over 42,000 people at their highest.
    • Created “Inflation Station” at Ambassador Stations to funnel users to resources
    • Ambassador Program success, most visitors were friendly and appreciative with successful interventions regarding safety

    2025 Proposed Efforts

    • Continue focus on stewardship, rules, and resources
    • Continue to enhance bilingual communication
    • Continue to improve signage
  • 2025 Physical Environment

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Efforts in 2024

    • Limited access points
      • Sections of fencing and gates were added to protect the creek and regulate the flow of creek users
    • Modified the beach layout
      • Improved the ability to observe users and limit large gatherings.
    • Widened the RV Park trail
      • Eliminated a bottle neck to allow pedestrians to flow more freely. Officers can now travel through the area on the UTV.
    • Outfitter Shuttles
      • 3,372 people purchased public shuttle tickets, with most taking two shuttle rides. 246% increase from last year. 70-75% of people who rented tubes from Adventure West (the only outfitter directly offering shuttles) rode shuttle vs. walking with their tubes.

    2025 Proposed Efforts

    • Continue use of flaggers at Ford St.
    • Continue use of public shuttle
  • 2025 Parking

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Efforts in 2024

    • Interstate Parking Management to regulate parking including Golden Community Center parking lot
    • Violation revenue is higher than paid parking revenue due to more consistent enforcement
    • Increased parking enforcement
      • July/August 2023: Violations: 563
      • July/August 2024: Violations: 2,652
      • Over 90% compliance.
    • Expand 9th Street neighborhood permit zone to include 8th street
    • All Golden residents allowed up to two hours free parking in the garages and surface lots daily without having to register at a kiosk or pay by smartphone system

    2025 Proposed Efforts

    • Expanded Interstate enforcement hours to 7 p.m. for neighborhood zones
    • Continue monitoring compliance with the program and increase wayfinding for parking structures and better tracking of available spots
  • 2025 Data Collection

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Efforts in 2024

    • More data to review compared to past years
    • Camera and RFID data were collected continuously through the season with video analysis software that included advanced AI capabilities
    • More RFID tags distributed (4,000 in 2023 vs 11,000 in 2024)
    • Restricting rental tubing on Buffalo Bill Saturday made tubing traffic look like a typical weekend instead of one of the busiest days of the year.
    • The decision to restrict outfitter rentals in 2021 has stopped growth in rental tubes, any growth has been personal tube usage.
    • Total number of tubers for the season counted by the Billy Drew camera: 114,884

    2025 Proposed Efforts

    • With two years of more reliable data collected 2025 season can be compared to 2024.
    • Continue to limit tube rentals per day
    • City Council will consider if they want to
      • Not restrict tube rentals this year based on special event or City resources
      • Restrict tube rentals on the Saturday of Buffalo Bill’s Day again
      • Or restrict tube rentals on any additional days of special events or limited City resources.
Page last updated: 30 Jan 2026, 09:49 AM