LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — Chatfield State Park is always a busy spot for people to come out for the Fourth of July.
Friday, the park filled with people. At one point earlier in the day, it even reached full capacity, making it difficult for some people to find parking.
Almost every lot that FOX31 crews came across had park officers standing in front showing signs that many of the parking lots were at full capacity.
FOX31 saw people hiking and walking next to fast-moving traffic just to get a spot. It left many people scrambling, trying to figure out an alternative route.
Some people FOX31 spoke with said they were at the park as early as 8:30 a.m. and had to wait an hour to access the recreational area.
Others say they had to hike and walk a half hour just to make it to the water.
“I just moved here about six months ago, so I’m new to the area. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find some proper waterside chilling for a day like this, but clearly there’s some options in the Denver area, so this is great,” said Justin. “I went to Deer Creek Lake first and then Cherry Creek Reservoir. Both of which were at capacity. So this was my third option.”
Emily Alden said, “We parked all the way down there and we just walked down. We hiked through the bushes and everything to get here. It was pouring down and raining too. But got to do it for the Fourth of July.”
FOX31 reached out to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to see if there were responded to any emergencies and did not hear back immediately. Officers monitoring the crowd told FOX31 that everything remained safe and peaceful.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
