"Thank you to everyone who came to the 2026 events and programs, and especially to all of our volunteers who helped make them happen. See you at Earth Day 2027!"
That sign-off now sits at the top of the Quincy Farm programs page. Both the east and west sides of the property stay open to the public every day from sunrise to sunset, and you can walk in from the High Line Canal Trail at Quincy Avenue. The ticketed calendar is finished. The daily walk, which has always been the farm's main use, keeps going without the crowds, the shuttles and the borrowed parking lots.
Every Ticketed Event in 2026 Needed Its Own Parking Plan
You can see how the farm is built by looking at what each 2026 event needed to work.
- Goat Yoga for Kids, August 11. This one moved off the farm entirely, to John Meade Park at 120 Meade Lane next to City Hall. It cost $20 per family.
- An Evening at Quincy Farm Barn Party, September 18. This was a sold-out evening from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. with $175 tickets, live music, barbecue and a silent auction. Two shuttles ran from City Hall, guests could park in Kent Denver's senior lot, and a temporary lit path led to the High Line Canal Trail.
- Mahjong at the Farm, September 23. This was a $50-per-person donation evening for intermediate and advanced players. Guests were asked to walk, ride or carpool and park on Quincy Avenue. About 10 spots in the east-side barnyard were held for guests with mobility needs or late arrivals, and the west side had no parking at all.
- Raptors, Ponies and Pumpkins, October 4. This barnyard morning cost $25 per family and filled up. It had live birds of prey, pumpkin decorating, Butterfly Pavilion nature tables and two mini horses. Parking was at Kent Denver School, followed by a short path to the canal trail and a left turn to the barnyard.
The draft 2027 annual plan that staff gave City Council on August 18 credits Cherry Hills Land Preserve with a record programming year, including several sold-out programs and 400 visitors at Earth Day. It expected more than 225 residents at the Barn Party and called it the Village's largest community gathering. Each of these events still depended on a neighbor's parking lot, a shuttle or a request to arrive on foot. There's a reason for that. The farm has no general on-site parking, only one accessible space. The City's 2026 annual plan does consider a grass parking area, but it says the area would be gated and open only for programs. Events have to bring their own logistics. Walkers arriving from the canal don't.
The House Rules Shape Everyday Visits
The farm's everyday rules come down to a short list, covering how visitors use the property:
Hours: East and west sides open daily, sunrise to sunset. Access: From the High Line Canal Trail at Quincy Avenue. Bikes: Walked, not ridden. Dogs: Not permitted on the farm. Buildings: Closed to the public except during scheduled programs.
Dog owners should know about one difference. The October Village Crier reminds trail users that dogs must be leashed in city parks, on trails and along the High Line Canal. So a leashed dog is welcome on the canal trail, but the farm's own grounds are off-limits to dogs. If you're walking a dog on the canal, plan to stay on the trail and save the farm for another walk.
The property has two sides. The east side holds the barnyard. The west-side trail runs past the pond, which the City describes as a wildlife-viewing spot next to the canal trail. The Big Barn on the east side finished a major renovation in 2025. Programs use it, but on an ordinary October afternoon you'll see it from the outside.
In 2026, the Money Went Into the Walk
This year's capital spending followed the same priority. Both big projects finished in 2026 improve the trip on foot.
The first is the pond. It's a 1930s irrigation pond next to the canal, and over the decades it had filled with sediment and become very shallow. When the City took over management of the farm in 2016, the pond had extreme algae blooms because the water was shallow and didn't get enough oxygen. The City dredged it so it would be smaller and deeper, which improves water quality and wildlife habitat. Dredging finished in fall 2025 and planting in spring 2026, according to the High Line Canal Conservancy's project page. The City's 2026 annual plan lists a $400,000 budget for the dredging and reports an Arapahoe County Open Space grant of $241,088 toward it. In other words, county open-space money covered more than half of the budget for a pond that sits beside a public trail. The draft 2027 plan calls this one of the most heavily visited sections of the High Line Canal and says the pond is the first documented breeding site of Hooded Mergansers in Colorado.
This fall is the first one since the new plantings went in, which makes the west-side trail the main reason to come by after the programs end.
The second project is the footbridge that links the farm to the canal. The Conservancy's page says the replacement "was completed in Summer 2026" and that the City built it to match the historic character of the old wooden footbridge. City Council's paperwork came later. A July 21, 2026 council memo asked Council to accept the Conservancy's funding agreement. Under it, the Conservancy would pay up to half the cost, capped at $65,000, against an estimated not-to-exceed total of $130,000. The City had budgeted $100,000 for the bridge in 2026, so the Conservancy's share brings the City's own cost below that figure. The City's draft 2027 annual plan, dated July 31, 2026, confirms that the replacement is done. It describes a new wooden bridge that matches the farm's rustic feel but is safer and more accessible than the old one. City Parks staff built it in-house instead of hiring a contractor, which the plan says saved the City significant money.
The same memo explains why the bridge got the money. The canal is in the middle of an ownership transition, which has slowed other planned improvements such as irrigation and tree planting. The Conservancy shifted funds to the footbridge, which the memo calls a community priority for access and safety. When some canal projects stalled, the money went to the crossing people use to reach the farm on foot.
The Easement Behind the Rules
The farm's history explains why it works this way. Quincy Farm dates to 1898. Cat Anderson and her husband bought it in 1964. She put most of the property under a conservation easement that permanently protects it from further development, and in 2006 she listed the Hopkins House on the National Register. According to the farm's legacy page, she donated the farm to the City in 2007, and her estate turned it over to the City in 2016.
Since then, two groups have run it together. The City took over management of the farm in 2016. Cherry Hills Land Preserve is a local nonprofit founded in 2005, and it began working with the City on revitalizing the farm in late 2021. That partnership runs under a memorandum of understanding signed in December 2021, which requires an annual plan for the farm that City Council approves. Under the 2026 plan, CHLP handles its own programming, marketing and outreach. The City's plan says it supports the 2022 Master Plan priorities of natural open space, views, and a safe, serene environment. The easement and those priorities shape the farm's daily public access, with ticketed events fitted around it.
The Quiet Months Are When the Next Version Gets Decided
The farm's future is also being decided in these off months. At its June 16, 2026 meeting, Council unanimously approved a high-level vision for Quincy Farm. It calls for:
- Removing the Anderson House.
- Rehabilitating the Hopkins House, which Council defined as keeping the historic exterior and remodeling the interior for a new use.
- Allowing small private events on the west side.
- Allowing small-to-medium private events on the east side, including in the Big Barn.
City staff described the vision as deliberately high level. Event sizes, event hours and the details of building work will be set later through policy documents, event policies and annual plans. One councilor said his vote depended on how terms like "small event," "medium event," "private event" and "commercial use" end up being defined. Council members also asked for public input before the Anderson House is demolished.
The schedule set in June covers this fall. Staff expected the east-side farmhouse renovation to go out to bid over the summer and construction to start in early fall. They planned to bring a 2027 annual plan to Council on August 18. Both items made it onto the August 18 council agenda as a draft 2027 plan, and staff asked for feedback before bringing the plan back for approval at a later meeting. The draft says construction documents for the farmhouse are finished, the project would go out to bid in August, and construction is planned to start this fall. We couldn't confirm a contract award or a start date. Its major projects for 2027 are:
- Finishing the east-side farmhouse renovation.
- Continuing the east-side landscaping.
- Revisiting and updating the agreement with Cherry Hills Land Preserve.
- Removing the Anderson House and replanting the area.
- Completing a feasibility study for the Hopkins House, plus construction documents if time allows.
Some east-side work is already finished. This year staff built a crusher fine trail for exploring the pasture and planted about 40 fruiting trees and shrubs along it, with irrigation to each one. An Eagle Scout project, coordinated by CHLP, added four raised garden beds.
If you use the farm regularly, those definitions will matter to you. The size and frequency of private events will decide how many afternoons the farm still belongs to people arriving on foot. The rules come from policy documents now in progress, and fall walkers will see any construction firsthand.
Three Free Dates at City Hall Before the Farm's Next Season
While the barn calendar is quiet, the City's own fall events are free and a short trip from Quincy Avenue:
- Calaveras en Mi Ciudad, October 19 through November 2, during regular City Hall hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibit shows eight large hand-painted papier-mâché calaveras.
- Día de los Muertos community event, Saturday, October 24, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, with art, crafts, storytime and refreshments.
- Winter Celebration, Friday, December 18, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at City Hall, with hayrides, an outdoor tree lighting, Santa, face painting and seasonal refreshments.
For more ideas on getting around the canal corridor, our look at how the High Line Canal empties out on Fiddler's Green's busiest nights covers the Greenwood Village stretch. Our Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village neighborhood page has more on the area.
At Helm Weaver Helm, we follow Quincy Farm's next steps, from the 2027 annual plan to how Council defines "small event," because they affect daily life on the streets around the farm. If you'd like to talk about what the farm's future could mean for a home near the canal, book an appointment with one of our partners.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
