Longmont hosts guided park tour to discover history and art

Warm weather is returning and COVID-19 restrictions are easing, some Longmont residents are taking advantage by exploring local parks with  local author of “Stories of our Longmont Parks,” and a city staff member. 

Cycling tours are organized by Lauren Greenfield, traffic safety coordinator with the city of Longmont, and Paula Fitzgerald, the retired city landscape architect who wrote a book celebrating the history of Longmont’s parks. 

The tours are free to Longmont residents and open to cyclists of any skill level. Greenfield and Fitzgerald mapped out the parks both chronologically and geographically, to avoid adding extra miles to the ride. The rides start at 9 a.m. and are planned to go until 12 p.m.

“I do a lot of route-planning for my own bike rides, and I’ve lived in Longmont for ages. I made sure we’re sticking to bike lanes, bike paths and very low-stress roads so that anyone that joins can take their time and really enjoy the ride,” Greenfield said.

The first tour, held April 9, covered the earliest parks in Longmont — Roosevelt, Collyer and Thompson parks —- as well as Alta, Sunset and Price. The second, on April 11, covered parks in the northeast quadrant, including Clark Centennial, Spangler and Lanyon.

The upcoming ride on Friday, April 23, will cover the parks along the greenway and has the longest mileage at almost 16 miles due to the distance between parks. Starting at Quail Campus, home to the Longmont Museum and Recreation Center, the ride will head out to Sandstone Ranch along the St. Vrain Greenway, then double back to visit Kanemoto and Lefthand Creek parks.

The April 25 ride, dubbed “Stuck in the Middle” will start at Loomiller Park and take cyclists through Hover Acres, Garden Acres, Flanders, Dawson and Carr parks. The final tour, on April 30, will explore Willow Farm Park and Alphabet Farm before heading west to Blue Skies and Dry Creek parks.

Participation is limited to twelve people per tour in order to adhere to county COVID restrictions. Attendees must provide their own bicycles, which must be in good working order. Safety is a priority for the rides, and checks will be done as a group before and during the rides. Helmets and face masks are required for anyone that wishes to attend.

Fitzgerald and Greenfield will lead the rides, spending time at each destination to discuss the history and development of the parks. In addition, Greenfield, who was the Art in Public Places coordinator before moving into her current role, will discuss art pieces along the route. Attendees will receive a bike map of Longmont, and Fitzgerald will autograph copies of her book for anyone that wishes.

“These aren’t high speed rides, we aren’t racing. It won’t require a lot of stamina or being incredibly fit. We’ll move at the speed of the group and really take our time to learn and appreciate the parks. It’s an enjoyable way to see the parks in person and connect with them in a way you can’t from just reading the book,” Fitzgerald said.

“We want to encourage people to find routes to these parks that can involve bike lanes or low-stress, low-traffic streets,” Greenfield said.