Quincy Farm in Cherry Hills Village: Parking and Plans Through 2028

"Sorry everyone, this event is full!" That line sits at the top of the Quincy Farm programs page for Raptors, Ponies and Pumpkins, a $25-per-family barnyard morning on October 4 with live birds of prey, two mini horses to groom, pumpkin decorating, and nature tables from partners like the Butterfly Pavilion. Directly below the sold-out notice is a parking instruction in capital letters. Park at Kent Denver School, follow the signs to a short path, pick up the High Line Canal Trail, then turn left to the barnyard.

Those two lines sum up the farm's year. In 2026 people came in larger numbers than the property was built to receive. Almost everything the City of Cherry Hills Village and the Cherry Hills Land Preserve have planned through 2028 deals with access: where cars go, where restrooms are, which buildings stay, and who can book the barn.

The Ground Got Fixed First

The most visible work this year happened along the Canal. Next to the trail sits a 1930s irrigation pond. When the City took over management of the farm in 2016, the pond had filled with sediment and was suffering extreme algae blooms. The City dredged it in Fall 2025 to make it smaller and deeper for better water quality and wildlife habitat, then finished planting it in Spring 2026. An Arapahoe County Open Spaces grant of $241,000 covered part of the cost.

The wooden footbridge from the Canal into the farm was replaced in Summer 2026, in keeping with the historic character of the old bridge. City parks staff did the work in-house. At the August 18 Council meeting, staff said this saved the City considerable money compared with hiring a contractor and produced a crossing that is safer and more accessible than the original.

On the east side, staff put in a crusher-fine path, irrigation, and 40 fruiting trees and shrubs, which are meant to provide shade and, eventually, material for children's programs. Garden beds built by Eagle Scouts have become a popular feature, according to Cherry Hills Land Preserve Executive Director Ellen Thompson. Staff also said a historic interpretive sign is planned for the east side this fall so visitors can learn the farm's history on their own.

Attendance Grew Faster Than the Property

With the grounds improved, the people came. Thompson told Council in August that 2026 would end with more than 1,500 visitors across 26 programs. The Land Preserve's volunteer ambassador program grew from 25 to 38 members this year. Its Instagram following went from 38 to 500 in about a year and a half. She also said the sign at the High Line Canal bridge has consistently been one of the best ways to reach event attendees.

The calendar behind those numbers was small and hands-on:

• Earth Day Celebration on April 26, the model the farm now cites for a much larger fall event next year
• Saddle Up for Western Art on May 27, a Speaker Series talk with Andrea Keppers of the American Museum of Western Art
• Gardening workshops with Devon Hukill, including Cultivating Your Own Vegetable Garden on June 4
• A Bird Walk on June 14 with Denver Audubon volunteer Barbara Masoner
• Blooms & Blossoms flower arranging on June 17 with floral designer Cindy Overhardt
• Mahjong at the Farm on September 23, a donation-supported table for intermediate and advanced players

Thompson called parking the biggest operational challenge of the year. The Kent Denver lot that the October event depends on was unavailable for much of 2026. The farm itself offers very little. Its access page lists one accessible parking space and no general on-site parking.

One format did not work. The farm's site shows the June 24 bike-in movie as canceled. Thompson told Council the concept did not draw its intended audience because families were wary of biking at night and the start time was late relative to children's bedtimes. She said 2027 programming will focus on attracting first-time visitors and trying new formats.

Ticket prices are kept low on purpose. Thompson estimated 2026 program fees at about $13,000 and program expenses, not counting her salary, at about $18,000. Fundraising covers the gap, and the year-end Barn Party anchors that campaign.

The Sequence That Comes Next

On June 16, Council unanimously approved a high-level Vision for Quincy Farm. It calls for removing the Anderson House, rehabilitating the Hopkins House, allowing small private events on the west side, and allowing small to medium private events on the east side. Council agreed that "rehabilitation" means keeping the Hopkins House exterior historic while remodeling the interior for a new use.

The vision is a direction, not a calendar. Projects have to finish in order, and the timing has already moved once. In June, staff expected construction on the east side farmhouse to begin in early fall. By August, the plan said construction would carry into 2027.

The parking area is designed to be hard to spot. Staff said it will have no painted lines and will look like the surrounding field once established. Temporary irrigation will get it started, with the goal of turning that irrigation off after a couple of years. Staff expects 24 spaces to be more than most smaller Land Preserve events need. Before the lot moves forward, staff plans to send the final plans to Colorado Open Lands.

Private events will follow the precedent set at John Meade Park. There, Council reviewed decibel limits, hours, and other conditions before the shelter opened for rentals. Staff said definitions of "small" and "medium" events will come back to Council before any Quincy Farm rental takes place. In June, Councilor Heller also asked that Council seek public input before the Anderson House is demolished.

The draft 2027 Quincy Farm budget is $842,000. Of that, $700,000 is capital carried forward for the farmhouse, the Anderson House removal, and the Hopkins House feasibility and design work. The budget is still subject to Council's normal budget process. A separate project of about $20,000 would replace a struggling bluegrass lawn on the west side with a variety that uses less water. City Manager Cramer told Council that capital projects involving historic structures almost always run longer than first estimated.

The Land Preserve plans a capital campaign for the Hopkins House and is waiting on the feasibility study before setting a target. Thompson said the farmhouse project drew little donor interest because it is mainly a restroom update.

A Weekday Walk Works the Same Way

None of this changes the daily routine on the Canal. According to the farm's site, Quincy Farm is open on both sides every day from sunrise to sunset, with access from the High Line Canal at Quincy. Buildings stay closed except during scheduled programs, and bikes and dogs are not allowed. The access page has no date, so check it before bringing guests.

The City's redesigned parks and trails map, which Council approved February 3, separates the High Line Canal from City trails and lists trail names, surfaces, lengths, parking, and bathrooms. Farther north on the Canal, the High Line Canal Conservancy reported in July that the Yale and Holly underpass work at Mile 39 was still underway and that trail users crossing Yale had been detoured since November 2025.

On the Calendar This October

• October 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Raptors, Ponies and Pumpkins at the farm. The event is full, and the waitlist runs through [email protected]. Parking is at Kent Denver.
• October 17, 10 a.m. to noon. City flu-shot clinic.
• October 19 to November 2. The Calaveras en Mi Ciudad exhibit at City Hall.
• October 24, 2 to 4 p.m. A free, family-focused Día de los Muertos afternoon at City Hall with crafts, storytime, refreshments, and eight hand-painted calaveras by Latino artists. In mid-September, the Art Commission was still confirming its reader and vendors and was preparing 120 craft kits, with supplies to scale up to 150.

The farm's site promises a much larger fall event next year, modeled on its Earth Day Celebration.

Quincy Farm's restored historic buildings, a parking area meant to look like pasture, and conservation-easement rules are the same mix of construction detail and long-term value Don Preisser weighs every day in Cherry Hills Village. If you want to talk about what nearby projects like these could mean for a property you own or are considering, Let's Connect.