Gateway Lakes Natural Area

Great Park. Many trails and paths to take depending on your dogs or needs. If you like to watch birds, this is a great place.

Gateway Lakes Natural Area in Greeley is the perfect park for when you want to feel one with nature, but also need to be reminded that you're running low on patio furniture. It's a genuinely lovely spot that offers a full "urban-nature-meets-quirky-art-exhibit" vibe. The most defining, and hilarious, feature is its immediate proximity to the local shopping centers. You can be admiring the serene, sparkly water one moment and find yourself staring directly at the big orange sign of the Home Depot the next. Despite its retail-adjacent location, this is a legitimate natural area. The trails are easy and flat, winding around several pretty lakes and ponds full of golden grasses and trees. The "wildlife" aspect is certainly present; I found a very official-looking sign warning me about BULLSNAKES, which I respectfully chose to accept as "information only" and not a hands-on exhibit. I also discovered a set of mysterious paw prints permanently dried into the concrete path, leaving me to wonder if a werewolf had recently shopped for power tools. What truly sets this park apart is its collection of random and wonderful art. As I walked, I stumbled upon what I can only describe as a pirate ship mast, just chilling in a field far from any ocean. Not long after, I found a large, metallic sculpture that looked like a portal to another dimension, or perhaps a giant's abandoned game of pick-up sticks. It’s an unexpected and amusing open-air gallery. Ultimately, Gateway Lakes is a fantastic and unique spot. It has nice features like a wooden pier for looking thoughtfully into the distance (or at the back of the shopping center). It's the ideal place to get a quick dose of nature, see some weird art, and finalize your shopping list, all in one go. It’s a charmingly bizarre and convenient little oasis.

Lovely park with lakes and trails! Plenty of birds, snakes, rabbits and turtles. Haven’t seen any frogs there yet but signs posted say they are also part of the wildlife you may encounter while walking there.

Really great open space with crushed walked paths. Took both the girls for the first time and it was wonderful. Dogs need to be leashed which is fine, but there's lots of little places to explore and sniff around. It is open to bicyclists so just watch out for them.

My grandson loves this park. It's kind of like several parks connected by a loop of sidewalks. There's lots of shade but also lots of sun. There is a small man-made lake with ducks in the center of it all. It's away from the neighborhood, although close enough to see it. Never busy but always well kept. There's a porta potty right next to the parking lot that is somewhat clean. There are also placards around the area with wildlife information. And along the way you can find the Rhapsody rain tubes.