North of 20th Street in west Greeley, two small drainages meet before they reach Sheep Draw. The water runs south to north through wetlands and cattails, past the backyards of Mountain Vista and Owl Ridge, and the city's own staff memo says that meeting point earned the area a nickname: "Triple Creek."
As of June 2, 2026, that nickname is the official name. Greeley City Council adopted Triple Creek Natural Area for the roughly 42 acres of paved trail, wetland and grassland that people had been calling the Mountain Vista or Owl Ridge natural area, simply because of the neighborhoods next to it. The name fits because the drainage is the one thing that holds the place together. The land came to the city in pieces, from different owners, over many years.
Seven Parcels, Two Sides of 20th Street
What reads as one continuous greenbelt is actually seven parcels between 71st Avenue on the east and 82nd Avenue on the west, on both the north and south sides of 20th Street. According to the background in the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board's March 6, 2026 meeting packet, the two halves have very different histories.
| North of 20th Street | South of 20th Street | |
|---|---|---|
| Parcels | Two | Five |
| Conveyed by | Mountain Vista Ventures, LLC | Creek View Investments, LLC |
| When | Between 2000 and 2007, as the subdivision was built | Between 2015 and 2025 |
| Original purpose | Stormwater detention and non-irrigated open space | Not specified in the city's summary |
| Trail built | 2019 to 2021 | 2005 to 2016 |
The north side holds the most surprising detail. Until about 2017 or 2018, the land north of 20th Street had an active oil and gas well pad. The trail there came in only after that, between 2019 and 2021. The 20th Street trailhead dates to 2019 as well.
The south side went the other way: the trail came first and full ownership came later. The city's Natural Areas and Trails division had managed the area for years and built trail on parts of it. The last parcel wasn't conveyed until 2025, after the developer met federal wetland mitigation restoration requirements. Only once every parcel was in city hands did staff move to give the whole thing a formal name. Their memo says the goal was "to foster community ownership and raise awareness of this small natural area."
The Feature That Ties the Pieces Together
With two developers, two decades of handoffs, an old well pad and trail segments built at different times, the drainage is the only constant. Water moves south to north across the whole property and into Sheep Draw. When staff explained the Triple Creek suggestion to the board, they said it plainly:
"The creek is the landscape feature that ties these seven parcels together into one cohesive natural area."
That same water is why the place looks the way it does. The city describes the wetlands and drainage channels as a working part of Greeley's stormwater system, slowing and filtering runoff and recharging groundwater. The wetlands that formed around the stormwater ponds are where the red-winged blackbirds nest. It also explains the tree removal some walkers may have seen. The city says trees growing in or near the stormwater channels can block water flow, so it clears them to keep the channels working.
Four Finalists, Three of Them Birds
The public naming window ran from January 8 to February 16, 2026, after the deadline was extended. Residents posted ideas on the city's Speak Up Greeley project page, and the campaign drew 35 suggestions. Ten didn't meet the criteria in the city's 2022 Culture, Parks and Recreation naming policy, which left 25 for staff to sort.
Staff narrowed those to four recommendations, and three of them came from the wildlife:
- Red-wing Roost or Raptor Roost. This started as a community suggestion, "The Roost." Staff proposed adding a bird species to tie it to the local ecosystem, pointing to the red-winged blackbirds whose song carries along the trail and the raptors that hunt the area.
- Triple Creek Draw or Triple Creek. This one was submitted as "Triple Creek Draw" for the confluence with Sheep Draw. Staff noted the board could shorten it.
- Soaring Hawk. Named for the hawks often seen overhead.
- Hooting Hollow or Blackbird Hollow. Several suggestions used "hollow," meaning a small sheltered valley or low basin. "Hooting Hollow" nodded to the owls that gave Owl Ridge its name.
The board didn't decide right away. At the March 6 meeting, members discussed "Blackbird Hollow or Red-wing Hollow" alongside "Triple Creek - History of the area," then tabled the vote to the next month. On April 3, the board's minutes show a unanimous vote to recommend Triple Creek Natural Area, on a motion by Greg McIntosh seconded by Beth Kleiber. Council adopted the name on June 2. Its resolution says the name "recognizes the history and geographic characteristics of the area."
The birds are still part of the visit. The city's project page has a whole post on the red-winged blackbirds you'll hear in the cattails, and the board record notes hawks overhead and owls nearby. The name just went to the water those animals depend on.
Walking It With the Name in Mind
Knowing how the place was assembled makes the trail easier to read. The section south of 20th Street is the older path, built between 2005 and 2016. North of 20th is the newer stretch on what used to be well-pad land, and that's where the two drainages come together.
North of the natural area, the paved path keeps going through private property until it meets the Sheep Draw Trail. Sheep Draw links to the Poudre Trail, so a walk from 20th Street can become a long regional bike ride. Walking, biking and wildlife watching are all welcome, and so are dogs on a leash. The city asks visitors to stay on designated trails to protect the habitat, and it posts closures and detours on COTREX.
What's Coming at 20th Street, and Beyond It
Part of the reason for naming the area was to make it easier to find. The city said the lack of an official name made it hard for people to locate the place, and that the new name would go on trailhead signs, maps and online listings pointing to the 20th Street trailhead and parking area.
The city's September 2026 update said visitors could expect three additions at the 20th Street trailhead this fall:
- Trailhead signs with the Triple Creek name
- A port-a-let enclosure
- A bench
A grant from the Rails to Trails Conservancy and the Trails Development Fund is paying for them. The update describes them as coming, not finished, so the new signs may or may not be up by the time you walk past.
The bigger changes are in the plans for connecting trails. The board packet describes three of them:
- A trail connection south to a new city community park
- A link south to the westward expansion of the Highway 34 Trail
- A Sheep Draw Trail crossing at 83rd Avenue, planned for the coming years
None of these has a published completion date. Taken together, they would put the path along the old drainage into a much larger trail network than the neighborhood greenbelt it started as.
If you walk Triple Creek and want to talk about what's happening around west Greeley, from new trail links to how the neighborhoods along 20th Street are changing, the House2Home Real Estate team is glad to hear from you. Let's make your house a home. Call or email our team today.
