Bear Creek Site 1

Bear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River in central Colorado in the United States. It begins as a small creek up in the Mount Blue Sky Wilderness in Summit Lake and makes its way through Evergreen, CO, Kittredge, CO, Idledale, CO and Morrison, CO before entering Bear Creek Lake Park, managed by the City of Lakewood, Colorado.

Bear Creek flows to a confluence with the South Platte River in Sheridan, Colorado, just south of Denver, and then into the South Platte River near Englewood. As it moves downstream, Kerr Gulch, Cold Spring Gulch and Saw Mill Gulch all add to its flow making it a sustainable river to fish from spring to fall, with close access to the Denver area and offering many recreational opportunities.

The Bear Creek Watershed totals 236 square miles (610 km2), including all tributaries that discharge into the Bear Creek Reservoir. The two main tributaries are Bear Creek and Turkey Creek. Bear Creek Lake Park is on the plains against the foothills and Hogback (first line of foothills) on the western outskirts of Lakewood and metro Denver, Colorado, adjacent to the town of Morrison. Bear Creek Greenbelt is a greenway running east and west along Bear Creek, bordered on the west by Bear Creek Lake Park and on the east by Wadsworth Boulevard. Bear Creek Lake Park is a 2,624-acre gem (1,062 ha) in a diverse portion of the metro area.