By Tom Schweich
Kinney Run South is a middle-size open space, as Golden open space goes, that is squeezed in, east to west, between the Lakota Hills neighborhood and Shelton School and, north to south, Tripp Ranch and Heritage Dells Park.
The largest part of Kinney Run South, about 8 acres, was acquired by the city when the Tripp Ranch neighborhood was platted in early 1993. It was known then as Tract C of Tripp Ranch and dedicated for “open space/drainage purposes.” There are some other little parcels, such as part of Tripp Ranch, Tract D, and part of Lakota Hills (1986) plat, Tract B that could be considered part of the Kinney Run South Open Space. If those spaces are included, then Kinney Run South is close to 10 acres.
The rocks of Kinney Run South are primarily Permian-age Lyons Formation, roughly 270-285 million years of age with alluvial deposits along the stream of Kinney Run. The cliffs in Kinney Run South are formed by Lyons Sandstone (Anderson & Haseman, 2021).
The plants in Kinney Run South are the common grasses and shrubs we find around Golden. There are two interesting plants found right up against the cliffs formed by the Lyons Sandstone. One of them is Rubus deliciosus Torr., the “delicious raspberry.” It was described from collections that Dr. Edwin James made in 1820 somewhere along the Front Range. The joke, of course, is that the delicious raspberry can be described as “insipid at best.”
While surveying the vegetation of Kinney Run with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program in 2021, Scribner’s Needlegrass —Eriocoma scribneri (Vasey) Romasch, was found in the soft soil at the base of the cliffs (Sovell & Panjabi, 2021). Kinney Run South is the only place this grass has been found in or near Golden. The nearest other collections are found at Rocky Flats and at Chatfield Farms, two of the most studied pieces of ground in Colorado.
Like other Golden open spaces, Kinney Run South has its problems. While walking in the open space I found discarded tree limbs, a dead bicycle, and a wheel-less desk chair, all apparently yeeted over the cliffs. [Def: yeet. v. To throw something forcefully, often with enthusiasm.]
Even in dead of winter, the Kinney Run Trail is popular for a daily walk. Away from busy streets there is little traffic noise, and the open space is quiet, punctuated by the cheerful shouts of Shelton School students at recess.
And … The project page for the Golden Parks & Recreation Master Plan and Open Space Master Plan project, called Path to Play, has returned to Guiding Golden! You can read the results of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Survey, or enter a question or comment about Golden’s Open Spaces.
References
Anderson, Donna S and Paul B. Haseman. 2021. Golden Rocks: The Geology and Mining History of Golden, Colorado, pub. Golden, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.25676/11124/14162
Sovell, John R., and Susan S. Panjabi. 2021. Biological Survey of Golden Open Space Property, Jefferson County, Colorado. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, 2021. https://cnhp.colostate.edu/download/documents/2021/CNHP-Golden-Open-Space-Survey-final-report.pdf
