GOLDEN, Colo. — A trail in Golden Gate Canyon State Park is being renamed after one of the most beloved Colorado musicians.
Governor Jared Polis, along with the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced June 8 that the park’s Mountain Lion Trail will be renamed as “John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High Trail.”
“My parents took me to my first concert to see John Denver at Red Rocks in 1980 when I was five, and I danced in the aisles and our family continues dancing to this day to John Denver’s incredible music," Polis said in a statement. "As we continue to protect our environment and ensure Coloradans can thrive for generations to come, I am thrilled to commemorate the 50th anniversary of our state song Rocky Mountain High in such a meaningful way.”
Members of the Denver family joined Polis at the announcement, which came the same day that the Colorado Symphony announced a new show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Denver’s seminal album, Rocky Mountain High.
Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. in Roswell, New Mexico, Denver lived much of his life in Aspen, Colorado. In a short biography of Denver, History Colorado wrote “Many of Denver’s songs reflected his relationship with nature and, indeed, one of his greatest pleasures was spending time outdoors. He spent as much time as possible backpacking, hiking, climbing and fishing.”
“Nature has always been my best friend,” Denver once said. “My songs are full of images from nature.”
[Related: Singing Nature’s Song: Denver’s Life and Work]
Denver was outspoken about issues that were important to him, like hunger, homelessness and the environmental movement. In addition to writing songs that celebrated nature, Denver was an environmental activist. In 1976, the same year he campaigned for President Jimmy Carter, Denver founded the Windstar Foundation, a nonprofit that purchased and conserved 1,000 acres of land in Snowmass, Colorado.
Denver died in a plane crash in 1997. He was 53 years old.
In 2007, Colorado’s Senate passed a resolution making Denver’s iconic 1972 hit “Rocky Mountain High” one of the state’s two official state songs.
