South Gallery – When Nature Takes the Stage
9) DENVER MOUNTAIN PARKS FOUNDATION
EDUCATION
The Denver Mountain Parks offer rich and meaningful opportunities for education.
We support their educational initiatives such as:
- Providing interpretive signs in each park quick lessons on the history of the Mountain Parks and their founders.
- Funding conservation internships to learn about grazing habits and genetics of bison, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.
- Partnering with the Denver Zoo and Denver Botanic Gardens for special projects.
Help us keep Red Rocks Park and all our Denver Mountain Parks amazing places to visit!
Scan here to DONATE, VOLUNTEER, and LEARN MORE
PRESERVATION
The Denver Mountain Parks reflect a rich history of visionary individuals who, over 100 years ago, believed in the power of open space to enhance the lives of the Denver residents and visitors. We work to preserve this history, reflecting the local and park history as well as the original inhabitants of the land.
CONSERVATION
Conservation of air, water, animals, views, plants and open space are vital to ensure the health of the Denver Mountain Parks and their visitors.
We support Denver Mountain Parks’ stewardship of:
- Two conservation bison herds
- Bear Creek and Clear Creek watersheds
- Forest health
- Biodiversity of wildlife and vegetation
- Mitigation of climate change impacts
MISSION: To restore the historical integrity, relevance, quality and appreciation for Denver’s Mountain Parks System; to advocate for it and ensure its future as a recreational, educational and open space resource for the City of Denver: its citizens, neighbors and visitors. The Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that partners with Denver Mountain Parks to identify and support projects and programs centered on conservation, preservation, and education.
8) RED ROCKS THROUGH TIME
2024-25 – The Red Rocks Visitor Center reopens after renovations to the Ship Rock Grille and exhibits.
2024 – Widespread Panic sets a record-to-date of the most sold-out shows with its 72nd appearance.
June 21, 2021 – The first post-Covid lockdown season opens, and full houses return to Red Rocks.
2021 – In an article published by Billboard, Red Rocks is listed as having 996,570 attendees in the 2021 season, the most attended music venue in the world. That beat out every other venue, and it wasn’t even close.
2020-2021 – Hiatus during the Covid shutdown era. In 2020 exceptions, acts like Nathaniel Rateliff and Big Head Todd & The Monsters appear to an empty house for virtual concerts. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra performs two shows to a limited masked and distanced audience.
2019 – Diana Ross returns as a solo act, 34 years after her 1985 solo performance, and 50 years after her first Red Rocks appearance as a member of the Supremes.
2017 – Paul Simon returns 50 years after first performing here as half of Simon and Garfunkel.
2017 – Accessible shuttle service begins through the efforts of local disability rights advocate Kevin Williams.
2016 – Jimmy Buffett returns to the Amphitheatre after a 26-year absence. All in all, he would sing at the Rocks eighteen times between 1977 and 2021.
2015 – The Colorado Music Hall of Fame begins its tenure at the Trading Post.
2015 – Red Rocks, including the Amphitheatre, park, Trading Post, and CCC camp, is designated a National Historic Landmark. This designation is given to only two percent of properties listed on the National Register, each representing an exceptional aspect of American history and culture.
2011 – Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and Division of Theatres & Arenas merge to form Arts & Venues Denver.
2009 – CCC veterans’ organizations and Americorps bump up their efforts to conserve the original CCC camp, leading to the eventual restoration and historic designation.
2008 – Widespread Panic sets the record for the most sold-out shows at the Rocks with 51 performances. They will immediately break their own record with later shows in the season and drive it to 67 by 2023.
2005 – Stevie Nicks returns 14 years after her last solo performance, and 15 years after first performing here with Fleetwood Mac. By 2022, she will have graced the Amphitheatre stage ten times.
2004 – The statue of the CCC worker, commissioned with support from CCC Veterans and the Preserve the Rocks fund, is dedicated.
2003 – Red Rocks Visitor Center opens.
2001 – The scheduled date for groundbreaking of the Visitor Center coincided with the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Red Rocks now hosts an annual 9/11 stair climb honoring the victims of this tragedy.
July 11, 2000 – The first Film on the Rocks—The Godfather with the band Chronophonic and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
1999 – Pollstar, the professional organization of performance venues, has named Red Rocks the “Best Small Outdoor Venue” so often that it removes the Rocks from further competition and renames the category “The Red Rocks Award.”
1998 – Denver purchases an additional 193 adjacent acres, of which 99 were later dedicated as park land.
1997 – Red Rocks secures its first liquor license and begins selling alcoholic beverages.
October 12, 1996 – President Bill Clinton is the first sitting president to appear at a scheduled event, a Democratic Party rally.
August 15, 1995 – The Dave Matthews Band record their first full album, “Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95.”
1995 – The Red Rocks Masterplan recommends major infrastructure renovations and improve- ments, including the creation of the new Visitor Center.
August 18, 1994 – New Age artist John Tesh records “Alive at Red Rocks” with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
July 4, 1994 – Blues Traveler inaugural Independence Day show, which becomes an annual event. The opener was Widespread Panic, eventually the record holder for the most sold-out Red Rocks performances.
1994 – The jam band Phish arrives for a four-night stand and the town of Morrison is besieged by a huge contingent of “Phishheads.” Mayhem ensues and the last two nights are cancelled. Later, Phishheads help clean up the mess and the band contributes reparations.
September 9, 1992 – The Moody Blues record “A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.”
1990 – Red Rocks is named to the National Register of Historic Places.
1988 – The show-biz conglomerate MCA wants to buy Red Rocks from Denver, the city says no, and MCA builds the competing Fiddler’s Green concert venue.
1988 – The first permanent stage roof is erected to help shelter performers from the elements.
1988 – Promoter Bill Bass with Feyline Productions starts the long-running Reggae on the Rocks.
1987 – Former senator Gary Hart of Colorado announces his second presidential candidacy in a press conference at Red Rocks.
June 5, 1983 – U2 videos its live performance, including a dramatic storm, and the Under a Blood Red Sky DVD brings Red Rocks to international prominence.
July 7 & 8, 1978 – The Grateful Dead perform here for the first time.
June 20, 1978 – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band appear; his first-ever outdoor show on a national tour.
1976 – Barry Fey presents the first of his long-running Summer of Stars concert series. It marks the beginning of Feyline Productions’ dominance of concert promotion at Red Rocks, assuring the Rocks’ identity as a rock venue.
1976 – Town of Morrison named to National Register of Historic Places.
1975 – A court finds the earlier rock ban to have been “arbitrary and capricious,” clearing the way for promoters to again book rock music into the Amphitheatre.
1974 – John Denver is the first act to appear on four successive nights.
1973 – The City designates Red Rocks Amphitheatre as a Denver Historic Landmark.
July 10, 1971 – A disorderly gate-crashing incident disrupts a Jethro Tull concert. Hard rock bands are banned for the next five years.
1970 – Rock acts resume with Ten Years After and Grand Funk Railroad on August 28.
1968 – Jimi Hendrix is the first psychedelic rock artist to perform at the Rocks, in the first concert presented here by promoter Barry Fey.
1968 – The audience becomes disorderly when Aretha Franklin refuses to perform after learning that she will not receive her contracted fee due to low attendance. This leads to a two-year ban on rock acts.
August 29, 1965 – Johnny Cash is the first country music act to appear at the Rocks.
August 26, 1964 – The Beatles appear on the sixth stop of their first American tour and use the emergency oxygen booster that the venue provides for entertainers suddenly coping with the 6200-foot elevation.
1962 – Light classical shifts to pop and folk music at the Rocks, resulting in sometimes rowdy audiences at concerts like Ray Charles (1962) and Peter, Paul, and Mary (1964). This resulted in the venue banning alcohol ahead of The Beatles’ 1964 show and increased police presence, which resulted inno incidents.
1959 – Stanley Morse designed the lighting system and wind wall improvements for the stage.
1958 – Jerry Lewis is the first stand-up comedian to perform here.
September 16, 1956 – The first live broadcast from Red Rocks—Wide Wide World on NBC-TV.
1956 – Jazz singer-pianist Nat King Cole, who had become one of the most famous pop performers of the day, is perhaps the first Black solo artist to appear here.
1954 – The “symphonic jazz” orchestra of Denver native Paul Whiteman performs Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
July 3, 1952 – Operatic soprano Lily Pons performs at Red Rocks; Helen Black’s publicity stunt of having birds fly from the stage when Pons sings is captured in a Time magazine photo.
1947–1961 – Classical and light classical performance dominate the offerings, under the auspices of the Denver Music Festival promoted by the Denver Symphony’s business manager, Helen Black. Pianist Leonard Pennario opens the series on June 27, 1947, with the Denver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Saul Caston. The total number of performances per summer ranges from five to a dozen.
April 6, 1947 – Colorado Council of Churches sponsor the first Easter Sunrise service.
1944 – Opera star Regina Resnick asks the Red Rocks audience to light matches and wave them in the air during her performance. It’s the first recorded instance of this display, antedating other claims like the Doors while performing “Light My Fire” in 1967, Melanie during a rainstorm at Woodstock in 1969, and Neil Diamond during a 1972 performance of “Heartlight.”
1942–1947 – World War II hiatus.
1941 – The U.S. Army transfers ownership of the Morrison CCC Camp to Denver Parks.
June 15, 1941 – The opening night dedicatory concert at Red Rocks. There are vocal soloists, an orchestra, Rotary officials, the mayor, and the governor. To honor the Native American heritage of the place, there is “Indian” dance and music though performed by Boy Scouts and the Municipal Chorus. Ten thousand people attend, and CBS broadcasts the event over national radio.
1939–1942 – Workers of the New Deal WPA (Works Progress Administration) program build on the Bear Creek Canyon highway, parking area, and toilet/sewer systems.
1937 – By year’s end the young men of CCC Company 1848 have completed the landscaping groundwork and hand off to the older skilled labor of CCC Veterans Company 1860 for final construction.
1936 – The Department of the Interior approves the use of the Civilian Conservation Corps to build the Amphitheatre, and the young men of the Morrison Camp get to work.
1936 Architect Burnham Hoyt completes his design for the Amphitheatre.
1930–32(circa) – The Trading Post is designed and constructed. Hot dogs were a dime and ice cream just a nickel.
1929 – Denver constructs a scenic auto route to Red Rocks.
1928 – Denver parks manager George Cranmer tours Italy and is inspired by the ancient Greek Amphitheatre at Taormina.
August 18, 1928 – John Brisben Walker sells Red Rocks to the City of Denver for $54,133.
1927 – Denver purchases acreage adjacent to Garden of the Titans from John Ross.
1925 – Denver begins negotiations with John Brisben Walker for the Red Rocks site.
1914 – Landscape architect F. L. Olmsted, Jr. lays out plans for the Denver Mountain Parks System. Denver, Jefferson County, and the state collaborate to build roadways, and the federal government contributes a subsidy for land acquisition.
1913 – Colorado State Senate resolution allows cities to purchase lands outside city limits.
1912 – Denver voters approve a mill levy to develop a system of mountain parks.
April 14, 1912 – The Titanic sinks, and Walker names the rock that resembles it capsizing “Ship Rock.”
1911 – The old Bear Creek Canyon wagon road is repaved as a motor road, helping to further open the area to tourism. The period roughly from 1907 to 1920 saw a transition from gravel to paved motor roads, supported by legislation and local economic interests.
1911 – The Denver Mountain Parks Commission is formed.
May 10, 1911 – Walker drives operatic diva Mary Garden to the Rocks in a luxury Chalmers auto. She sings at an informal concert for workers and their children.
August 7, 1910 – Walker presents Signor Ferullo’s Band, the in-house musicians at Denver’s Lakeside Amusement Park.
1910 – Walker endorses a mountain parks system.
1908 – Walker builds the funicular incline railway to the top of Mt. Morrison.
May 30, 1906 – Walker promotes a Decoration Day (now called Memorial Day) concert with Pietro Satriano and his 25-piece brass band.
1906 – Nellie Melba, one of the world’s favorite opera stars, reportedly visits and proclaims the site “the greatest open-air theater I have ever seen.” Melba toast, Melba sauce, and peaches Melba were all named for her.
1890 – The electric-powered Denver, Lakewood & Golden interurban streetcar line brings tourists to Golden as a jumping-off point for horse- and mule-drawn exploration of Red Rocks and other attractions. It will be joined in 1901 by the Denver & Northwestern line. 1906 John Brisben Walker, having purchased the Red Rocks site the year before, renames the property Garden of the Titans and develops it as a tourist attraction. There will be stairs, ladders, an observation deck, and more.
1880 – Ambitious, up-and-coming businessman John Brisben Walker tours the west. He envisions an entire system of mountain parks and Red Rocks’ potential as a natural theater.
1878 – John F. Gray and constrction engineer Leonard Eicholtz purchase the Garden of the Angels site, intending to develop a commercial park.
1877 – Professor Arthur Lakes of the Colorado School of Mines tours Red Rocks and excavates the 90-foot-long fossil remains of Apatosaurus ajax, the first of many specimens found on nearby Dinosaur Ridge.
1874 – The Town of Morrison is laid out.
1872 – John Evans establishes the first wagon road up Bear Creek Canyon.
1871 – The Hayden Expedition, a U.S. Geological Survey team mapping the West, visits Red Rocks.
1870 – Jefferson County Judge Martin Van Buren Luther names the Red Rocks site Garden of the Angels.
1860 – Ute Chief Colorow and his band often encamp in the Red Rocks area. Prior to European contact, the area was in the nomadic territory of the Ute tribes. Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples also ranged over the area.
1820 – Captain Stephen Long’s army mapping expedition (Long’s Peak) “discovers Red Rocks.” The area had long been inhabited by the Ute nation, while Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples lived on the adjacent plains.
66 million years ago – A giant asteroid hits the earth and the Age of Dinosaurs ends. Exit, stage left.
70 million years ago – The Laramide Orogeny (the geologic process that created the Rocky Mountains and Red Rocks) begins.
300 million years ago – The layers of rock begin to be deposited that will eventually rise up into the Rocky Mountains.
7) PUT YOUR NAME ON THE MAP
Denver Mountain Parks Foundation
Mission: To restore the historical integrity, relevance, quality and appreciation for Denver’s Mountain Parks System; to advocate for it and ensure its future as a recreational, educational and open space resource for the City of Denver: its citizens, neighbors and visitors. The Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that partners with Denver Mountain Parks to identify and support projects and programs centered on conservation, preservation, and education.
To donate, volunteer or learn more: mountainparksfoundation.org
Other ways to support Red Rocks:
Friends of Red Rocks
Mission: To preserve Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre by hosting trail cleanups and activities to keep Red Rocks a beautiful place for all the amazing visitors each year.
To donate, volunteer or learn more: friendsofredrocks.org
Sign our Digital Guestbook • Leave a Legacy Gift
Preserve the Rocks
Preserve the Rocks is a City and County of Denver fund dedicated to education, restoration and the preservation of Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre.
We invite you to keep the memories and history of the venue alive by making a legacy donation along with your digital guestbook entry. redrocksonline.com/our-story/donate
6) QUOTE
“We participate with the earth, the animals, and the plants. We are not separate from them; they take care of us and we take care of them.” – Linda Black Elk, Ethnobotanist, Catawba Tribe
5) LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
“We at Red Rocks honor and acknowledge that Red Rocks Park & Amphotheatre is located on land that is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the State of Colorado.”
4) WHERE NATURE TAKES THE STAGE (MURAL)
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre are part of Denver’s spectacular mountain parks system.
3) WILDLIFE IN THE PARK
Red Fox
If you see me at Red Rocks, I might be hunting for small prey like mice and squirrels. I use my superior hearing to locate my food which may be well hidden under brush or snow.
Prairie Racerunner
Blink and you’ll miss me! I am a speedy insectivore that helps control Insect populations around Red Rocks.
American Black Bear
Despite my name, you can find me in a range of colors from sandy blonde to the richest of reds and browns. Because of the valuable habitat that Red Rocks provide, I can thrive in this ecosystem yearround. Be sure your rubbish finds a trash can to keep me wild!
Prairie Rattlesnake
I am a common, venomous, pit viper you might see at Red Rocks. If you hear me, STEP BACK! My rattle is a warning noise, so you don’t step on me in my home.
Western Tanager
My Iconic red head comes from my Insectivorous diet. I also dine on fruits and berries which helps spread seeds throughout Red Rocks.
Mountain Lion
Depending on wliere you are from, I am known by many different names like cougar, panther, or puma. I have the widest range of habitats of the !arge cat species from rainforest ecosystems to desert landscapes.
Bobcat
I am easy to distinguish from other medium sized predators from my shortened or “bobbed” tail. My role in the ecosystem at Red Rocks is keeping the small prey populations in balance.
Mule Deer
My name comes from my big ears that resemble a mule. I am a large herbivore that searches for high quality vegetation like bluebells and globemallow at Red Rocks.
Peregrine Falcon
You know me as one of the fastest birds, diving at over 200 mph. My physical makeup helped influence the blueprints of jet engines! I am at home at the many cliffs sides you can view at Red Rocks.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
I am a medium-sized migrating species that spends summers at Red Rocks. You’ll see me around red flowers like scarlet gJlia wliich grow on tlie ground.
The park is full of wildlife, most of which stay out of sight from park visitors. Consider yourself lucky if you spot any of these on the beautiful trails around the park. Respect them by staying at a safe distance.
2) WHEN HIKING IN RED ROCKS PARK…
TRAIL MAP
The trail map shows three suggested hikes around the park and their mileage. All three are easy-to-moderate in difficulty, so choose a loop that suits your skill level. Remember to take plenty of water along and keep your four-legged friends on a leash!
RATTLESNAKES
This park is a natural rattlesnake habitat. Stay on designated trails, and if you encounter a snake, back away. Keep dogs leashed at all times.
HYDRATE
Colorado is the high desert, and the altitude and dry air can make people sick, especially when they first arrive. When enjoying a hike in the park, drink more water than you think you need.
RESPECT THE ROCKS
Stay on the trail while exploring the park. Respect and care of the rocks to ensure they are here for generations to enjoy. Stay safe and do your part to protect our park by staying off the rocks and on the trail.
1) GET TO KNOW DENVER MOUNTAIN PARKS
HIGHLIGHTS
- Experience nature as never before at 12,800-foot-high Summit Lake Park with alpine plants and wildlife.
- Ski Winter Park, “Colorado’s Playground”
- Hike, fish and picnic in Bear Creek Canyon’s many beautiful and historic parks.
- Camp under ponderosa pines at historic Chief Hosa Campground in Genessee Park.
- View bison herds grazing in Genessee and Daniels Park.
- Explore Western history at Lookout Mountain Park, the gateway to the mountain parks system and home of Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave.
- Hike Red Rocks Park or attend a world-class concert, brought to you by Denver Arts & Venues.
MOUNTAIN PARKS AT-A-GLANCE (as of 2024)
- 22 accessible parks
- 25 conservation areas
- 14,500 acres
- 6,000 to 12,800 feet in elevation
- 2 bison herds
- 5,000,000+ annual visitors
From the spectacular 300-million-year-old rock formations here at Red Rocks to a glacial lake at 12,800’ elevation in Summit Lake Park, the city of Denver stewards a diverse range of special places. The Denver Mountain Park system consists of 47 foothill and mountain parks interconnected by scenic drives, once described by an early supporter J.B. Walker as “the most extensive and magnificent system of parks possessed by any city in the world.”
