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Denver adds dragon, duck boats to City Park, Wash Park

Just like Loch Ness, multiple lakes around Denver will play host to their own mythical creatures this spring.

As part of an acquisition of boat operations at City and Washington Parks, Denver Parks & Recreation has added two new types of paddle boats to its fleet, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday morning.

Available for rent when the lakes open to the public for the season, the addition of purple dragons and yellow ducks to the fleet of white swans was one of the initial changes the agency made after gaining operational control of the boat rentals, the spokesperson added.

They also did not say exactly how the city acquired control of the boat rentals at the parks.

The move to gain more operational control of parks has been in the works “for some time,” and was an initiative spurred by Deputy Executive Director of Recreation John Martinez, the spokesperson added. They also said there may be other changes that come to the parks as a result of the move.

While DPR is not yet saying much more about how much the parks experience will change as a result of the decision, the spokesperson said that there are other projects in the works that the agency will announce at a later date after logistical items such as funding have been worked out.

While they are currently locked up for the season, the boats will be released onto the water in the coming months.

Three paddleboats sit locked behind gates
New paddleboats sit in the City Park Pavilion on Jan. 20, 2026. (Stephen Barr / The Denver Gazette)

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