Kendrick Lake
Lakewood, CO
A peaceful central Lakewood neighborhood built around a 31-acre reservoir with one of Colorado’s most celebrated xeriscape gardens — 350 native plant species, a free 1-mile trail, fishing, and two playgrounds, all within a walkable mid-century neighborhood three miles from Belmar and priced well below Lakewood’s median.
- Zip Code80232
- Home Styles1960s-70s split-levels, tri-levels, brick ranch
- Price Range~$370K (townhomes) – $675K+ (single-family)
- HOANo HOA (most SF homes) · Kendrick Lake Quads HOA
- School DistrictJefferson County R-1 (Jeffco)
- ElementaryKendrick Lakes Elementary (A-minus Niche)
- ParkKendrick Lake Park — 31 acres · xeriscape gardens · free
- LocationCentral Lakewood · 3 mi to Belmar · Bikeable
Central Lakewood’s Quiet Residential Pocket — Built on Agricultural Reservoirs
Kendrick Lake’s history is quietly embedded in Lakewood’s agricultural origins. Before the residential development that came in the 1960s and 1970s, this part of central Lakewood was farmland irrigated by a network of reservoirs, and those reservoirs remain — now as park amenities at the center of a neighborhood that grew up around them. Kendrick Lake Park’s 31-acre reservoir is the most visible, surrounded by one of Colorado’s most recognized xeriscape demonstration gardens and the free 1-mile paved trail that Kendrick Lake residents walk, run, and cycle as part of their daily routine. The reservoir doesn’t offer motorized boating or swimming, but it offers fishing, two playgrounds, picnic shelters with BBQ grills, and the kind of lakeside park experience that most central Lakewood neighborhoods don’t have within walking distance.
The housing stock reflects the neighborhood’s development era — split-levels and tri-levels on the sloped terrain, brick ranch homes elsewhere, all built primarily between the early 1960s and mid-1970s. Many homes have been updated over the decades while maintaining their original footprint and character. The Kendrick Lake Quads townhome communities from 1972 and 1973 — 875 to 1,175 finished square feet with HOAs covering exterior maintenance, snow removal, trash, and water — provide the neighborhood’s most accessible price floor. At the other end, newer communities like Allison Glenn carry larger modern homes with grand entryways at $940,000 to $1.2 million, representing the contemporary development that has recognized Kendrick Lake’s central Lakewood location as underpriced relative to the city average. The median single-family home price of approximately $573,000 and a 28-day average days on market confirm that the neighborhood is neither overlooked nor overpriced — it sells quickly and consistently.
Kendrick Lake’s central position in Lakewood — between West Jewell Avenue and South Lee Street — gives it practical access to multiple commercial corridors without relying on a single one. Lochwood Square’s King Soopers handles routine grocery runs. Jewell Square Shopping Center adds discount, hardware, auto, and pet stores. Taste of Denmark — a European-style bakery on Jewell Avenue specializing in fruit Danishes, almond Kringle, and Berliners — is the kind of local institution that surprises visitors and keeps regulars coming back. Belmar’s full retail and restaurant district is 3 miles north.
Central Lakewood — 3 Miles from Belmar, Strong Bikeability
Kendrick Lake sits in the geographic heart of Lakewood between West Jewell Avenue on the south and the Alameda corridor to the north. Belmar’s retail and restaurant concentration is 3 miles north. Fox Hollow Golf Course is nearby to the west. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is approximately 9 miles west. Downtown Denver is accessible via West Alameda Avenue or 6th Avenue. The Lakewood Cultural Center — which hosts the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra and rotating art exhibitions — is accessible without a significant drive.
Kendrick Lake is described as highly bikeable — bike paths and lanes connect the neighborhood to the broader Lakewood cycling network, and the Kendrick Lake Park trail itself provides a daily cycling loop within the neighborhood. For car-dependent errands, the dual commercial corridors of Lochwood Square on the west and Jewell Square to the east provide most practical daily needs within a short drive or reasonable walking distance from the residential core.
Kendrick Lake Park — Colorado’s Most Famous Xeriscape Gardens
- Kendrick Lake Park (31 acres · 1-mile paved trail · free · fishing · playgrounds)
- Xeriscape gardens (350 native plant species · nationally recognized)
- Picnic shelters with BBQ grills (reservable)
- Dog-friendly park (on leash)
- Sanctuary Park (walking and bike paths)
- Jewell Park (playground · paths)
- Fox Hollow Golf Course (18-hole public · nearby)
- Belmar Park (132 acres · 3 miles north · trails · annual Earth Day Festival)
- Green Mountain / Hayden Park (20 mi trails · short drive)
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre (9 miles west)
- Lakewood Cultural Center (nearby · theater · galleries)
- Highly bikeable — bike paths and lanes throughout
Kendrick Lake Park’s xeriscape gardens are the neighborhood’s most distinctive outdoor feature — and one of the most recognized in Colorado. In 2002, Lakewood’s horticulture manager Greg Foreman transformed a small park into a demonstration xeriscape garden displaying 350 plant species native to Colorado and adapted to the Front Range climate. The gardens showcase how native plants can create a botanically rich and visually striking landscape while using half the water of imported species — a sustainability demonstration that has become a genuine destination for gardeners, educators, and residents who walk the 1-mile trail past the blooms throughout the growing season. The park is free, open year-round, and within walking distance of most Kendrick Lake homes.
Education in Kendrick Lake
Kendrick Lake is served by Jefferson County School District R-1 (Jeffco). Kendrick Lakes Elementary School holds an A-minus Niche grade — one of the stronger elementary school assignments in central Lakewood. The middle and high school pipeline leads to Alameda International Junior/Senior High School, which serves 7th through 12th grade on a combined campus and offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for qualifying students.
All Kendrick Lake addresses are served by Jefferson County School District R-1 (Jeffco). School attendance boundaries vary by address — always verify your specific school assignment directly with Jeffco before purchasing. Jeffco’s Choice Enrollment program allows families to apply to any district school, including campuses with different academic profiles.
Where Kendrick Lake Residents Eat
Kendrick Lake’s central Lakewood position gives residents access to two neighborhood commercial corridors for daily needs, Taste of Denmark for weekend morning treats, and Belmar’s full restaurant scene 3 miles north for proper evening dining. The neighborhood’s own small commercial strips along Jewell Avenue and South Wadsworth provide the routine daily access that the park-centered residential core doesn’t include.
Taste of Denmark on Jewell Avenue is one of those neighborhood bakeries that earns its local institution status through specific product rather than marketing — fruit Danishes, almond Kringle, Berliners, and other European-style pastries that are available at Taste of Denmark and essentially nowhere else nearby. The Saturday morning lake walk followed by Taste of Denmark is a Kendrick Lake ritual that residents describe as one of the specific pleasures of living here.
El Tequileno Family Mexican Restaurant in Lochwood Square is the neighborhood’s local Mexican restaurant institution — the kind of place that has earned a loyal Kendrick Lake following through consistent food and a family atmosphere rather than through novelty or national recognition. For residents who want a reliable Mexican dinner within walking distance of the residential core, El Tequileno is the default recommendation.
Cafe Jordano is one of Lakewood’s most enduring restaurants — an Italian family-style kitchen founded by Elisa Heitman, who came to the United States from Italy in 1979 at 17, taught herself English while learning the restaurant business, and eventually built her own restaurant from scratch. The history behind the kitchen shapes what comes out of it: a family-owned institution that has been feeding Lakewood longer than most of its neighbors have been alive.
CM Chicken is a Korean fried chicken operation built on a single standard: premium ingredients, prepared fresh every day, producing chicken that is crispy on the outside and consistently juicy within. The format is the Korean technique applied without compromise — a crust that holds its texture, a freshness guarantee that starts with never pre-cooking, and a menu built specifically around the proposition that fried chicken done correctly needs no apology.
African Grill and Bar is Lakewood’s only dedicated African restaurant — a kitchen drawing from West, East, North, and South African culinary traditions in a single menu that covers fufu, jollof, and dishes from across the continent that the Denver metro’s restaurant landscape otherwise leaves almost entirely unrepresented.
Manning’s Steaks and Spirits opened in 2018 — founded by Diane Manning and her son Michael. Serving ribeye, filet mignon, the signature Buffalo Tomahawk, a full burger menu, handcrafted cocktails, and a curated selection of wines, whiskeys, and tequilas.
Life in Kendrick Lake
Kendrick Lake residents consistently describe their neighborhood with the same vocabulary that Nextdoor data confirms: clean, dog-friendly, family-friendly, peaceful, safe, quiet. The lake walk is the morning ritual. Taste of Denmark is Saturday. Belmar is three miles north for any evening that calls for more. The school situation requires a Jeffco conversation about high school options. And the price — below Lakewood’s median, with a free xeriscape park on the doorstep and a national-average-beating 28-day market pace — is the argument that the neighborhood makes quietly but consistently.
Kendrick Lake Park’s xeriscape demonstration gardens — 350 plant species native to Colorado, free access, and consistently cited as one of the state’s most recognized public horticulture demonstrations — are the neighborhood’s most unusual and most underappreciated outdoor asset. The gardens change with the seasons in a way that conventional park landscaping doesn’t, and residents who walk the 1-mile loop regularly report that the botanical variety means there is always something different to notice across a year of regular visits.
Kendrick Lake Park’s free 31-acre reservoir with a 1-mile paved loop trail, fishing access, two playgrounds, and reservable picnic shelters with BBQ grills gives the neighborhood the kind of lakeside park infrastructure that most central Lakewood neighborhoods at similar price points simply don’t have. For families who use a neighborhood park as a daily-life anchor rather than a weekend destination, the combination of the botanical gardens, the lake, and the playgrounds makes Kendrick Lake Park genuinely distinct from anything else available in the price range.
Kendrick Lakes Elementary’s A-minus Niche grade and in-neighborhood location — walkable from most of the residential area — is one of the specific school advantages that sets Kendrick Lake apart from other central Lakewood neighborhoods at comparable prices. For families with elementary-age children where the elementary school quality is the primary school concern, the A-minus assignment within walking distance is a straightforward argument for the Kendrick Lake address.
Kendrick Lake’s 1960s and 1970s split-levels, tri-levels, and brick ranches have been updated by successive owners over six decades — a housing stock with good bones, mature landscaping, tree-lined streets, and the accumulated character of a neighborhood that has been continuously maintained rather than built new and immediately flipped. For buyers who value neighborhood maturity over new-construction predictability, Kendrick Lake’s established character is the physical context that the park’s botanical gardens and the lakeside trail reinforce.
Homes for Sale in Kendrick Lake
Domain Not Authorized
The widget cannot be displayed because this domain isn't registered with your Buying Buddy account.
This typically occurs when:
- You're using a new or different domain
- You've moved to a staging environment
- The domain has recently changed
To resolve this:
1. Log into your Buying Buddy account
2. Submit a help ticket requesting domain authorization
3. Include the current domain name, and whether it is staging, new production, or a replacement
Click here to login.
Need help? Our support team is ready to assist you.
Ready to Explore Kendrick Lake?
Kendrick Lake delivers a free 31-acre park with Colorado’s most famous xeriscape gardens, an A-minus elementary school, 3 miles from Belmar, and Lakewood’s most accessible central-location ownership prices. Homes move in 28 days. Let’s make sure you’re ready when the right one comes available.