Dakota Ridge, Colorado
Dakota Ridge is a community of 33,753 people in Jefferson County, Colorado.
Why visit Dakota Ridge
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 69 parks and trails, 111 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include AMC Bowles Crossing 12, Dippies, Bradford House II and Avoca Lodge.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 86°F; January lows average 19°F, and about 34 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Dakota Ridge
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Dakota Ridge
Dakota Ridge is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Dakota Ridge CDP was 33,892 at the United States Census 2020. In 1988, voters turned down a proposal to incorporate Dakota Ridge.
From the Wikipedia article Dakota Ridge, Colorado (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do6
Wild Alaska Seafood Products
Farm and orchard · 2.2 mi
8501 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton
May-Oct Sa 08:00-14:00
Museums and landmarks10
Bradford House II
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Rock shelter in Jefferson County, Colorado
Avoca Lodge
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.3 mi
Place in Denver, Colorado, United States of America
LoDaisKa Site
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Archaeological site in Colorado, United States
Peterson House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic house in Lakewood, Colorado, United States
The Fort
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Colorado
Columbine Memorial
Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi
Memorial in Colorado commemorating the Columbine High School Massacre
Morrison Natural History Museum
Museum · 3.8 mi
Museum in Colorado, United States
Economy Mine
Monument and historic site · 1.9 mi
The area was heavily mined in the 1920s, when there wasn’t much in this part of the metro area. Graves said it would have been described...
Parks, trails and playgrounds69
Bear Creek Lake Park
Park · 2.5 mi
15600 West Morrison Road
Mar-Apr,Oct Mo-Su 07:00-20:00; May-Sep Mo-Su 06:00-22:00; Nov-Feb...
South Valley Park
Park · 4.2 mi
Park in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States of America
Alkire Greenbelt
Hiking and trails · 0.9 mi
"The greenbelt is only 50’ wide and not marked at this time. It can be identified by two wire fences running parallel (50’ apart) from...
57 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes111
Bonefish Grill
Restaurant · Seafood · 2.3 mi
8100 West Crestline Avenue, Littleton
Mo-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
Brooklyn M.C.'s Pizzeria
Restaurant · Pizza, Italian, Pasta, Calzone, Beer · 2.5 mi
8086 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton
Tu-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 12:00-19:00
Gunther Toody's Diner
Restaurant · Burger · 2.4 mi
8266 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton
Su-Th 07:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-21:00
Hotpot Den
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.5 mi
5934 South Kipling Parkway
Mo-Th,Su 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-22:00
Hunan Dynasty
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.3 mi
9882 West Belleview Avenue, Littleton
Mo-Th 11:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 16:00-21:00; PH off
Lake House Kitchen + Tavern
Restaurant · American, Breakfast, Fish, Grill, Sandwich, Steak House · 2.6 mi
8026 West Bowles Avenue
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr 09:00-22:00; Sa 10:00-22:00; Su 10:00-21:00
Marino's
Restaurant · Italian, Italian Pizza · 2.2 mi
9083 - Unit 7B West Peakview Drive
Tu-Fr 16:30-20:00; Sa-Su 16:30-20:30
GroundUp Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Crepe · 1.2 mi
5035 B1A South Kipling Parkway
Mo-Fr 06:00-16:00; Sa, Su 07:00-16:00
99 more on the map.
Where to stay3
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Denver SW-Littleton
Motel and hotel · 2.7 mi
12683 West Indore Place, littleton
Fairfield Inn & Suites Denver Southwest/Littleton
Motel and hotel · 0.9 mi
5679 South Alkire Street, Littleton
Churches and places of worship16
Light of the World Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.2 mi
10316 West Bowles Avenue, Littleton
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 1.8 mi
10209 West Coal Mine Avenue, Littleton
Shopping33
Gas and EV charging20
Schools, colleges and libraries54
Alameda International Junior/Senior High School
School · 5.7 mi
1255 South Wadsworth Blvd, Lakewood
Belmar School of Integrated Arts
School · 5.9 mi
885 South Garrison Street, Lakewood
Betty K Marler Youth Services Center
School · 3.1 mi
7862 West Mansfield Parkway, Denver
Healthcare10
AdventHealth West Littleton Emergency Room
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.0 mi
9670 West Coal Mine Avenue, Littleton
Flora Pharmacy - Ken Caryl
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.6 mi
Suite 3 South Simms Street
Map of Dakota Ridge
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 19°F | 0.5 in | 6.3 in |
| Feb | 46°F | 20°F | 0.7 in | 6.2 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 28°F | 1.2 in | 5.4 in |
| Apr | 60°F | 34°F | 2.1 in | 4.1 in |
| May | 69°F | 44°F | 2.7 in | 0.8 in |
| Jun | 81°F | 53°F | 1.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 86°F | 60°F | 2.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 85°F | 58°F | 1.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 77°F | 49°F | 1.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 64°F | 37°F | 1.0 in | 1.7 in |
| Nov | 53°F | 28°F | 0.7 in | 3.7 in |
| Dec | 45°F | 20°F | 0.6 in | 5.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Marston Fltr Plt (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Jefferson County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-08-01: Quarry Fire (Fire)
- 2023-08-25: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes (Flood)
- 2020-03-28: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2013-09-14: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2013-09-12: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Centennial Airport (APA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Ken Caryl 3 mi south, about 5 min by car
- Columbine 4 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Lakewood 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Littleton 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Englewood 8 mi east, about 12 min by car
- Golden 9 mi northwest, about 15 min by car
- Highlands Ranch 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Wheat Ridge 11 mi north, about 17 min by car
- Greenwood Village 12 mi east, about 19 min by car
- Centennial 14 mi east, about 23 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ridge Trail access 2017-09-30 1712, Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SBA Communications tower, former Dakota Ridge Assembly church tower, Jefferson, Co., CO 2023-09-03, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bradford House II, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0
- LoDaisKasiteSEP, Bcexp, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PetersonHouse-LakewoodColo, Plazak, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The fort, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Avoca Lodge Denver CO, Hustvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Social distancing in the Dancing Willows neighborhood. 2020-05-09, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Closed-off playground equipment during the Coronavirus outbreak in Colorado, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- CBRE van, Kipling Marketplace, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sara Lee truck, Kipling Marketplace, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Low gas prices during pandemic at KS, Jellison & Belleview, Jefferson Co, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jet Kids, Jefferson Co., CO 2025-09-05, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- W. Quincy Avenue Phase 2A (S. Beech Way to S. Youngfield Street) - Retaining Wall and Sidewalk construction 2021-01-29 164353, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- W. Quincy Avenue Phase 2A (S. Beech Way to S. Youngfield Street) - Retaining Wall and Sidewalk construction 2021-01-29 164358, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- W. Quincy Avenue Phase 2A (S. Beech Way to S. Youngfield Street) - Retaining Wall and Sidewalk construction 2021-01-29 164417, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- W. Quincy Avenue Phase 2A (S. Beech Way to S. Youngfield Street) - Retaining Wall and Sidewalk construction 2021-01-29 164424, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- W. Quincy Avenue Phase 2A (S. Beech Way to S. Youngfield Street) - Retaining Wall and Sidewalk construction 2021-01-29 164412, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Draftboard 2015, Tripingbily511, CC0
- Snow Creek Fire, Mt Lindo, Morrison, CO 2022-07-12, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JCPenney, SW Plaza, exterior entrance at night, letter y unlit 2022-01-06, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chuze Fitness Exterior, Chuze Fitness, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chuze Fitness Interior, Chuze Fitness, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Former Macy's store, SW Plaza, lower interior entrance 2022-01-06, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sears, Cheesecake Factory, and Dick's at Southwest Plaza during COVID-19, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dillard's, SW Plaza, NW corner 2025-08-29, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JOANN and Office Depot, Southwest Commons, CORVID-19, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Outback Steakhouse, Southwest Commons, COVID-19, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PFG truck, SW Commons, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ISS040-E-592 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS038-E-4196 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS053-E-19569 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Bear Creek Dam seen from W Hampden Ave 2023-10-06, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Social distancing at Concordia On the Lake 2020-05-10, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ken Caryl, Colorado, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0
- 1969 Ford Torino GT 351, front left side, Coffee & Cars – Littleton 2026-10-03, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sunset colorado 7-7-05, Unknown author, Public domain
- 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle 427 Yenko, rear right side, Coffee & Cars – Littleton 2026-07-04, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2014 Maserati GranTurismo MC, Coffee & Cars – Littleton 2026-10-03, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chevrolet Corvette C4, Coffee & Cars – Littleton 2016-07-04 2026-07-04, Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0
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