Denver public pools: Jump into something a little more cool
Isabel Mont, 3, center, and Crosby Wineld, 3, left, play in the baby pool July 21 at Congress Pool in in Denver. Leah Millis photo
and Julie Vitkovskaya, uvikovs@mscd.edu
Public pools are always a mystery. You never know if you’ll be able to enjoy a day in the sun or have to wrestle other patrons for the soft spot on the lawn. We hope this list will provide some insight on which pools to visit and which ones to ditch. Best of all, admittance to each pool is only $3 for Denver residents.
AZTLAN POOL — Three stars (out of five)
4435 Navajo St.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekends, 12-5 p.m.
Crowd: Kid-friendly, quiet neighborhood pool.
Space: Concrete benches, shade area and a separate kiddie pool.
Facilities: In addition to the pool, you may buy a day pass for $5 to use the basketball courts, weight room and the pool table. The recreation center also features a meeting room where patrons can participate in ceramic classes and other arts and crafts.
BARNUM POOL — Two stars
370 Hooker St.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekends, 12-6 p.m.
Crowd: Mostly young children with their parents; more of a neighborhood crowd, noisy and busy.
Space: 25-yard pool with picnic tables.
Facilities: The park offers little in the way of lounging, and the second pool is scheduled for demolition this year, to be replaced with a large splash pad of jungle gyms and water spouts.
CONGRESS POOL — Four stars
914 Elizabeth St.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weekends, 11 a.m. tp 7 p.m.
Crowd: Noisy and busy; mix of children and young adults.
Space: Lounge chairs, shade and grass area.
Facilities: There are more lap lanes for adult swimming. The park offers lots of space to picnic and sunbathe. There is also a diving area, a kid’s sliding board, storage and vending machines.
GLOBEVILLE POOL — Four stars
4700 Logan St.
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12-6 p.m. Weekends, 12-7 p.m.
Crowd: Large crowd that comes from surrounding Denver areas, can see up to 300-400 people in a week with regular parties in the nearby park.
Space: The pool has been recently remodeled and features a large water slide and several fountains. However, there is no deep end (it stops at 5 feet) except for a one-lane lap-swim area.
Facilities: Argo Park next to the swimming pool features football and softball fields as well as a tennis court.
LA ALAMA POOL — Four stars
1120 Osage St.
Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weekends, 12-6 p.m.
Crowd: Lots of children; crowded in the pool and surrounding areas.
Space: Olympic-size pool, grassy area with shade for chilling on blankets.
Facilities: This pool is so close to campus you can pop in between classes. All light-rail trains stop at the 10th Avenue and Osage Street stop across the street. There are vending machines, storage and a kids’ sliding board.
MESTIZO POOL — Three-and-one-half stars
3181 Champa St.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekends, 12-6 p.m.
Crowd: Incredibly busy, around 120 daily visitors.
Space: A large pool with a water park for kids. Make sure to bring a chair or spread out on a towel to claim your spot because of the crowd.
Facilities: Although the pool doesn’t have a recreation center, there are nearby basketball courts and surrounding soccer fields.
SWANSEA POOL — Three stars
2650 E. 49TH Ave.
Hours: All week, 12-5 p.m.
Crowd: Kid-friendly, 35 to 70 daily visitors.
Space: Small pool up to 10 feet deep with a grass area and a separate kiddie pool.
Facilities: The pool is adjacent to a recreation center with indoor basketball, volleyball and foosball. There are also tennis courts, but their glory days were years ago.
Amanda Hall and Julie Vitkovskaya are writers at The Metropolitan, the student-produced newspaper at Metro State College of Denver.
