Sloan's Lake

What is living in Sloan's Lake like?

I lived in Sloan's Lake for several years, nearly a decade. I think Sloan's Lake is wonderful. It's a great park, with the city on one side and the mountains on the other as you round the lake. Paddle boarding, kayaking, running and biking are all part of it.

Two things to know up front. The lake's health is an open issue, and the city has announced a restoration project. And the neighborhood stops at Sheridan Boulevard: Edgewater, on the other side, is a separate city. If you're still choosing a part of the metro, start with the Denver relocation guide.

What draws people here

• The park. At 290 acres, Sloan's Lake Park is the second-largest park in the city, and the lake covers about 177 of those acres.
• The loop. A 2.5-mile paved trail circles the lake, with a narrow strip of lawn and mature trees between the water and the streets.
• Time on the water. The north end has a marina, and people boat and fish here when conditions allow.
• West Colfax. It's filling in with restaurants, coffee spots and breweries, and the former St. Anthony's Hospital site along 17th Avenue now has apartments and restaurants, plus an Alamo Drafthouse.

What gives people pause

• Lake health. Blue-green algae is a recurring threat here, and it can sicken people and animals. It can limit use of the water in warm months, so check Denver Parks' current notices.
• Work ahead on the lake. As of September 2026, the city's plan calls for about 30 months of dredging and shoreline work, with no firm start date.
• Busy park days. The park gets more than two million visitors a year, and the Dragon Boat Festival draws thousands.
• Home age. A cottage from the 1940s or 1950s may still have its original sewer line, water line and foundation.
• Rail takes some planning. The closest stations are south of West Colfax Avenue, and some have no parking.
• Flood maps. The lake is a major part of the region's stormwater system, so check FEMA's map for any address near it.

Where is Sloan's Lake, and how do you get around?

Sloan's Lake sits on Denver's northwest side, at the western edge of the city. Sheridan Boulevard marks the west side and Federal Boulevard marks the east side. As of fall 2026, RTD's downtown rail project is changing light rail service, so confirm your trip with RTD before you count on it.

• Into downtown: The former St. Anthony's site, just south of the neighborhood, is about 2.5 miles west of downtown. Light rail from the stations south of Colfax runs to Union Station.
• Into the Tech Center: By car, plan on I-25 south. By rail, connect at Union Station to the southbound line that parallels I-25, toward Belleview and Orchard stations.
• Transit: There's no rail station inside the neighborhood. In this part of town, the line between Union Station and Golden runs south of West Colfax Avenue. Perry Station, at 1199 N. Perry St., is a walk-up stop with no park-and-ride lot. Knox Station is also walk-up, and Sheridan and Decatur–Federal stations have parking.
• The airport: Take Sheridan or Federal north to I-70, then head east to Peña Boulevard. By rail, take the airport train from Union Station.
• The mountains: Sheridan and Federal both connect to I-70, the route west through the Rocky Mountains.

Where does Sloan's Lake start and stop?

The official lines come from Denver's statistical neighborhoods. The city has 78 of them, based on census tracts from the 1970s, and agencies use the map for data, research and records. Denver has no formal process for naming neighborhoods, so everyday names don't change the map.

On that map, this neighborhood is spelled Sloan Lake. The park is Sloan's Lake Park. The city put up "Sloan Lake Park" signs in 1993, a neighborhood petition led to "Sloan's Lake Park" signs in 2002, and the city still uses Sloan Lake for the neighborhood. This guide says Sloan's Lake unless it means the official map.

The official boundary

Sloan Lake runs from 29th Avenue on the north to 17th and 19th avenues on the south, and from Sheridan Boulevard on the west to Federal Boulevard on the east. The south line follows 17th Avenue on the west end, then steps north to 19th Avenue on the east end, toward Federal, so check Denver's map for any address along the south side.

The former St. Anthony's site

Known as Sloans, this redevelopment sits just outside the boundary, in the West Colfax neighborhood. The redevelopment area runs generally from West 17th Avenue south to West Colfax Avenue, and from Stuart Street east to Perry Street. Sloan's Lake Park lies to the north of it.

Edgewater

Edgewater isn't part of this neighborhood, and it isn't part of Denver. Sheridan Boulevard borders the west side, and Edgewater is across it. It's a home rule city in Jefferson County with its own city government. The lake itself lies entirely within Denver. For any address west of Sheridan, go to Jefferson County and the city the home is in for records, not Denver.

Nearby Denver areas

Three Denver neighborhoods share a border with Sloan Lake: West Highland to the north, Jefferson Park to the east and West Colfax to the south.

What does it cost to own a home in Sloan's Lake?

Tax amounts and prices move, so use these lookups for current numbers.

• Property tax: Denver's property search shows assessment and tax data by address, parcel ID or schedule number. In December and early January, maintenance district, service lien and business improvement fees may not appear there, so ask about them for the specific property.
• Which city you're in: Homes on opposite sides of Sheridan Boulevard are in different cities and counties, so confirm both on the tax record.
• Sidewalk fee: Denver's fee began in 2025. As of that rollout, it's billed on the stormwater bill in two payments a year, and long street frontages, such as some corner lots, pay an added charge. Owners still have to clear their own snow and ice.
• Landmark rules: Denver's design guidelines cover individually designated landmarks and historic districts. Check the specific address for any designation before you plan exterior work.
• Older-home systems: Denver Water's address map shows a property's risk of lead in drinking water, and its Lead Reduction Program replaces lead service lines with copper at no direct cost to customers. Radon can enter a home from the soil beneath it, so test for it. Get a sewer scope on any older house.
• HOA or condo dues: For a condo, townhome or row home with an association, find out what the dues cover and who pays the stormwater bill. If the HOA handles that bill, it handles the sidewalk fee too.
• Parking: If you're counting on street parking, read the posted signs and ask whether the block has permit rules.
• Flood insurance: FEMA's Flood Map Service Center finds the official flood map for an address. Ask your insurance agent what it means for that home.

What kinds of homes are in Sloan's Lake?

Cottages from the 1940s and 1950s sit next to new townhomes, row homes and condos, and there are large homes along the lake. The Lakehouse condo building overlooks the lake. It was planned as a 12-story project and broke ground in 2017 on the former hospital site, just south of the boundary. That redevelopment area also includes rental apartments, other condominiums and commercial buildings along West Colfax.

How do schools work in Sloan's Lake?

Sloan's Lake is in Denver Public Schools. In some parts of Denver, DPS uses a traditional boundary for a single school. In others it uses enrollment zones, where your address guarantees a seat at one of several schools, not one specific school. Which applies depends on the address, so enter each home you're considering into DPS's School Finder. Edgewater is in Jefferson County, so look up schools for addresses west of Sheridan separately.

What is there to do in Sloan's Lake?

Parks, trails and open space

The north part of the park holds the marina and recreational fields, and the park also has basketball and tennis courts and a playground. Penny Island, in the center of the lake, has an osprey nesting structure.

The park's history starts with a well. The popular story says Thomas Sloan tapped an aquifer while digging on his farm and flooded his land, and the lake was also called Sloan's Leak. Sources disagree on the year and on whether the story holds up. Sloan received a land patent here in 1866. An amusement park called Manhattan Beach stood on the north shore until it burned in 1908, came back as Luna Park and closed in 1914. The site became a public park in 1923, and in the 1930s the Works Progress Administration joined Sloan's Lake and Cooper Lake into one body of water.

The lake's future is the open question. It's getting hotter and shallower as sediment settles in, and those conditions favor toxic algae blooms. On September 2, 2026, the city announced a restoration project built around dredging and shoreline work, expected to take 30 months. At that point it still needed approval from the Denver Urban Renewal Authority and City Council. The city's stated goal is to keep as much of the park open as possible, so check with Denver Parks for the current status.

On the north side, an event space was being built in the historic Boat House as of September 2026.

Events

As of 2026 the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival was still held at Sloan's Lake, on the border of Denver and Edgewater, and it drew thousands. Get there early, because it gets packed. The algae threat has pushed it later than its old July date, and in 2025 the festival's director said it could leave Denver if the lake stayed unavailable for permitted events, so check the current date and location.

Food and shops

West Colfax is filling in with restaurants, coffee spots and breweries, and the former St. Anthony's site has apartments and restaurants, plus an Alamo Drafthouse. Across Sheridan, in Edgewater, 25th Avenue has restaurants and bars, and there's a public market on 20th.

Three places to start

• Sloan's Lake Park loop — The 2.5-mile paved trail, with the marina and the historic Boat House on the north side.
• Alamo Drafthouse at Colfax and Stuart — An eight-screen theater with in-theater food and drink, on the former hospital campus, just south of the neighborhood. It opened in May 2017.
• 1820 Lowell Blvd. — Built in 1926 as Lake Junior High School, just south of the neighborhood's line in West Colfax. Merrill and Burnham Hoyt designed it, and its Tudor-style and Moorish-influenced features earned it the nickname The Castle.

Who are the big employers in and near Sloan's Lake?

The job centers named here sit outside its lines. For more than a century, the St. Anthony hospital campus stood just south of 17th Avenue. St. Anthony Central Hospital closed in June 2011 and moved to a new campus about six miles southwest, in Lakewood. Today that area has commercial buildings along West Colfax Avenue, and downtown is about 2.5 miles east of the former hospital site. The rail line south of Colfax also reaches Auraria West, Federal Center and Jefferson County Government Center stations. Treat these as places to look, not a ranked list.

How does Sloan's Lake compare with nearby areas?

• Sloan's Lake vs. Edgewater — Sheridan Boulevard is the line, and it separates two cities and two counties. Edgewater has 25th Avenue's restaurants and bars and a public market on 20th.
• Sloan's Lake vs. West Highland — 29th Avenue is the line, with West Highland to the north. People here use the Highlands too, 5 to 15 minutes away.
• Sloan's Lake vs. West Colfax — The line runs along 17th Avenue and, in part, 19th Avenue. West Colfax holds the former hospital site and West Colfax Avenue, its busiest street. The lake lies just north of it.
• Sloan's Lake vs. Jefferson Park — Federal Boulevard is the line, with Jefferson Park on the east side. Sloan's Lake Park is at the opposite, western end of Sloan Lake.

Buying in Sloan's Lake: what to do first

1. Get pre-approved before you tour. A cottage, a new townhome and a condo can carry very different monthly costs, so start with a real budget.
2. Confirm the city. Check which side of Sheridan Boulevard the home is on. On the Denver side, check Denver's map too, since Sloan Lake and West Colfax meet along the south side.
3. Pull the records. Use Denver's property search and ask about fees that may not appear there. West of Sheridan, go to Jefferson County.
4. Inspect for the home's age. Get a general inspection, a sewer scope and a radon test, and run the address through Denver Water's lead map.
5. Check the lake and the address. Look up FEMA's flood map, landmark status, the block's parking signs and DPS's School Finder. If you're buying near the park, get the latest on the lake project from Denver Parks.
6. Veterans: If you're buying with your VA loan, build the appraisal into your plan on an older cottage. VA has to make sure a property it finances is suitable for dwelling purposes, and its minimum property requirements can expose defects or maintenance issues that affect value. If you'd like a read on current pricing for the blocks you're considering, reach out and I'll walk you through it.