PARTICIPATE IN THE COLFAX MARATHON AND RAISE MONEY FOR FRIENDS OF RED ROCKS!
Lace up your running shoes and support Friends of Red Rocks at the Colfax Races in May 2024! Whether you are a seasoned athlete or a casual participant, there is a race for you ranging from distances of 5K to a full marathon. Sign up at runcolfax.org and select to run for Friends of Red Rocks. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kaitlin at forrfundraising@gmail.com
Who We Are
Friends of Red Rocks’ mission is 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. If you love Red Rocks, come join us at our next monthly trail cleanup on the last Saturday of each month! We meet in the upper north lot at 9:30am. Please sign in at the FoRR tent. The clean-up captains(s) are there to answer any questions in regards to FoRR. We are committed to keeping the park beautiful and pristine, and we would love your help as we work to Preserve the Magic! Please visit us on Facebook to see how to register for Trail Clean-ups and Special Projects.
In 2015, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre received a National Historic Landmark designation thanks, in part, to the efforts of Friends of Red Rocks volunteers.
Monthly Trail Clean-ups
Friends of Red Rocks hosts Monthly Trail Clean-ups and Special Projects on the last Saturday of each month. All are welcome to come and volunteer. Our meeting spot is in the UPPER NORTH LOT directly in front of the “Island” near the Depot. Please arrive between 9:30am and 9:50am.
Prior to attending a clean-up you must register with the group and you will be given a pin number.
The pin number is required in order to check in and out so you get credited for your time.
Prior to attending you must sign electronic waivers, including 2023 FoRR and 2023 Denver Mountain Parks waivers. Note: The waivers are good until years end. New waivers will need to be signed in 2024
Grab your gear and start hiking! FoRR provides the following:
Gloves
Hand Sanitizer
Safety Vests
Trash Bags
Trash Pickers
Please be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and dress appropriately. The weather can change very quickly at Red Rocks.
Trail Cleanup Stats
During 2023, Friends or Red Rocks volunteers accomplished the following numbers! Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who helped us reach these amazing statistics!!! And a very special shout out to the “Gum Scraping” Team, who has scraped more than 30 pounds of gum off the underside of the benches throughout the amphitheater.
411 lbs trash
204 lbs recycling
43.5 lbs gum scrapped off the amphitheater seats
Thank you to all of the volunteers who come out and help as much as you can. Thank you to each of you who also participated in special projects! Your dedication does not go unnoticed! It takes an army to keep Red Rocks Park clean and we couldn’t do it without your help!
Red Rocks History
Red Rocks has a long history of amazing music and magical moments for concert goers and park visitors, but it’s so much more than merely a great place to see a show! It is 868 acres of beauty that deserves to be cared for and preserved for future generations. The Amphitheatre, a geologic wonder, is a rare natural formation with perfect acoustics. The City of Denver purchased the park in 1927 from a private landowner for $54,133. Construction of the amphitheatre was completed in 1941 by the workers living at the Morrison CCC Camp.
As the amphitheatre gained in popularity and the city of Denver grew, so did the impacts on Red Rocks Park. Friends of Red Rocks began in 1999 as a reaction of concerned citizens to the corporatization of Red Rocks Park. Specific concerns at the time included converting the historic planter boxes into cooperate box seats; selling advertising and naming rights of the venue; and pushing through 'improvements' at too fast a pace. Friends of Red Rocks continues to stay involved and up to date on current issues affecting the park.
FoRR also maintains the Red Rocks native garden; educates patrons in a friendly way; and stays involved with advocating for the park and amphitheatre. While we encourage concert patrons to come out and have a great time, we ask that they do so in an environmentally responsible way. By doing simple things like packing out your trash, recycling, observing the Fan Code, staying on designated trails, and being considerate of wildlife, we can all work together to keep Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre beautiful and open for everyone’s enjoyment.
We are a non-profit organization and all of our members are volunteers. We depend on your generous donations to operate. Your donations help us purchase supplies such as pickers, gloves, trash bags, and safety vests. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today!
Red Rocks Trivia
Did you know…
There have been more shows scheduled at Red Rocks in the last decade than there were in the preceding 60 years?
That it took the natural amphitheatre of Red Rocks more than 200 million years to form?
That the amphitheatre was designed by architect Burnham Hoyt, who modeled it after the Theatre of Dionysus at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece?
That The Trading Post was built in 1931; it opened selling hot dogs for a dime and ice cream for a nickel?
Did the Beatles’ 1964 show at Red Rocks sell out?
That an estimated 750,000 non-concertgoers visit Red Rocks every year?
That AEG and LiveNation book the vast majority of shows there, but Red Rocks is an open venue, meaning anyone can book it?
These fun facts are credited to Dylan Owens at The Denver Post. Read the full article!
News
A south ramp replacement will address the fact that the iconic path, which provides access to the venue from the south parking lots, “has served its useful life expectancy.” The new south ramp will be constructed between November 2022 and April 2023 “with a design that respects the original structure’s aesthetic while meeting modern structural standards.”
The top plaza and row one of the amphitheater will get modified slopes “for increased wheelchair accessibility.” Last month, venue officials also said they would add more wheelchair-accessible seats and paving projects following a $48,000 payment that settled a claim that alleged wheelchair-accessible seats were more expensive than other seats in the city-owned venue.
The first phase of a “multi-phase” visitor center project will focus on the Ship Rock Grille and Kitchen, and the rebuild of the north restrooms. “The restaurant will be reconfigured to make the bar more visible and inviting,” officials wrote, while “the kitchen will be electrified with an improved layout.” (We hope they don’t mean literally). The restrooms will also be updated “with the addition of a family restroom and improved accessibility” as well as adding more water filling stations.
The projects will close the Red Rocks’ Visitor Center throughout the construction window, and access to the amphitheater “will continue to be maintained via the north trail and east stairs entrances.”
The public can still visit these entrances — during normal business hours — and park trails will remain open, as well as the Trading Post.
Visit redrocksonline.com/our-story/improvements for more details.
Completed Projects
We would like to thank Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Denver Mountain Parks, and the City and County of Denver for doing a wonderful job on many needed upgrades and repairs to Red Rocks. Read more.
Stage Roof
Red Rocks Depot
Enhanced Road, Lot, and Trail Lighting
Visitor Center Service Road Retaining Wall
Trading Post Updates and Remodeling
North Storm Water Channel Rehabilitation
Subsurface Seating Stabilization
Get Involved
There are many ways to become involved with Friends of Red Rocks!
Monthly Trail Clean ups- we meet at 9:30am on the last Saturday of every month in the Upper North Lot near the Red Rocks Depot.
Donate! It takes money to run a non-profit organization. While all members are volunteers, we still need supplies, equipment, web hosting, volunteer databases and more. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to Friends of Red Rocks.
Find us on Amazon Smile- a portion of your order will be donated to us. Log in to http://smile.amazon.com/ and choose Friends of Red Rocks as your organization to support.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @friendsofredrocks to stay current on events impacting the park.
Donate supplies- we need trash pickers, trash bags, gloves, water/snacks for trail clean ups, sunscreen, etc.
We also have a variety of committees that we could use your expertise on! Committees include fundraising, education, technology, merchandising, native garden, and communications. If interested, please email friendsofredrocks@hotmail.com for more information.
Friends of Red Rocks Native Graden
If you are interested in volunteering with Friends of Red Rocks, please submit the volunteer application above and come join us on the last Saturday of each month at 9:30am in the upper for our monthly trail cleanups! Our mission is to Preserve the Magic and we would love your help to keep Red Rocks amazing for future generations!
Some years ago, a man named Tom Rutter took a bold step to make a huge difference. The Red Rocks we all know and love is just how it is today - a place of rustic beauty and magical experiences where we go home with dirt on our feet and the smell of junipers in our hair - thanks to Tom.
Tom led the movement to preserve Red Rocks and protect it from corporatization. His action, in 1999, continues to give us all an opportunity to protect and celebrate one of the most magical places on earth. The entire community is indebted to Tom and that handful of individuals who accepted his invitation to get organized to oppose the City’s planned changes and corporatization.
In addition to helping preserve the Amphitheater, Tom was a hiker and an animal and nature lover who loved and knew intimately the Park's landscape and trails.
Tom left this world on January 25, 2021.
Thank you, Tom, for your foresight to protect the natural beauty that is Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. May you rest in peace.