Barefoot Lakes
Firestone, CO

Lake Life on the Front Range — 1,300 Acres Built Around Water

Barefoot is the kind of community that takes a few minutes to understand as a concept and then immediately makes sense as a place. Brookfield Residential took a 1,300-acre former rural site — anchored by a reclaimed quarry that had naturally filled into a 100-acre lake — and built a master-planned community whose entire design logic flows from the water. The two Barefoot Lakes are not decorative. They are paddleboarding lakes, fishing lakes, kayaking lakes, and the visual backdrop from hundreds of backyards. The St. Vrain River runs through the community’s natural corridor. Five named parks are distributed across the footprint. Three miles of lakeside trails connect residents to the water in every direction. The Cove, the community’s resort-style amenity center, adds a pool and fitness campus that makes the experience complete in all four Colorado seasons.

The community is organized around Ronald Reagan Boulevard, which divides it into two distinct but fully connected sub-neighborhoods. Barefoot Lakes, on the south side, is the original and more established side — single-family homes positioned among the lakes, open space, and river trails, with Peninsula Park’s amphitheater and great lawn serving as the outdoor social center. Barefoot Village, on the north side, is the newer addition bringing a more urban pattern to the mix: townhomes, cottages, and a planned village square with a café and outdoor concert space. A pedestrian underpass connects the two sides, and all amenities — The Cove, the parks, the trails — are shared by every resident regardless of which sub-neighborhood they live in. For buyers who want the village character of Barefoot Village’s attached homes at a lower price point, or the lakeside single-family experience of Barefoot Lakes, the same infrastructure supports both choices.

Multiple national builders are actively selling within the community: Brookfield Residential, Richmond American Homes, American Legend Homes, and Pulte each maintain their own model homes and floor plan portfolios within the Barefoot footprint. This multi-builder structure gives buyers genuine range — from entry-level new construction in the mid-$500s to premium lakeside homes exceeding $900,000 — but it also means that each builder operates under its own contract terms, warranty structure, and upgrade policy. Builder sales agents represent the builder, not the buyer.

Metro District & HOA Disclosure: Barefoot Lakes is subject to the St. Vrain Lakes Metropolitan Districts, established by Weld County voter approval in 2006. The district’s mill levy is 71.861 mills, applied to your property’s assessed value. On a $600,000 home, this represents approximately $3,100 or more per year in district taxes alone, on top of standard Weld County, Town of Firestone (6.805 mills), and school district taxes. The HOA runs approximately $90 per month ($1,080 per year). Recent tax records show total annual property tax of approximately $6,267 on a $495,000 home. Buyers must factor the full annual tax and HOA obligation into their cost calculation before purchasing. I can walk you through the current numbers on any specific home before you make an offer.

I-25 at Exit 240 — 15 Minutes to Longmont, 30 Minutes to Denver and Fort Collins

Barefoot Lakes sits just off I-25 at Exit 240 in Firestone, positioning it at the heart of the Front Range triangle commute that northern Colorado communities share. Longmont is approximately 15 minutes west via CO-119 — close enough for grocery runs, dining, and the Main Street scene without the full Denver drive. Denver is approximately 30 minutes south, Fort Collins approximately 30 minutes north. Erie, the nearest comparable suburb, is a short drive south along the I-25 corridor.

For daily conveniences, the Firestone commercial corridor along Colorado Boulevard and the City Centre Marketplace area provides grocery anchors including King Soopers and Safeway, along with the national retail and restaurant options that have concentrated along the I-25 frontage. Longmont’s broader commercial landscape — including the dining scene on Main Street and the major shopping along 17th Avenue — is accessible in 15 minutes. Denver International Airport is approximately 35 minutes southeast on I-25 and I-70, making Barefoot Lakes a reasonable choice for frequent travelers who want northern Colorado’s lifestyle without sacrificing airport access.

Two Lakes, Five Parks, the St. Vrain River, and The Cove

• Two Barefoot Lakes — 100 acres total, paddleboard, kayak, canoe, fishing
• St. Vrain River trail corridor (runs through community)
• 3 miles of lakeside trails (educational signage throughout)
• The Cove — resort pool (beach entry, lap lanes, splash zone)
• The Cove — fitness center, pickleball, basketball, firepits, clubhouse
• Peninsula Park — great lawn, pavilions, amphitheater, fitness island
• Havens Park — picnic areas, playground
• Waterside Park — natural climbing equipment, green space
• Hideaway Park — lawn games (Can Jam, Cornhole)
• Sunset Pavilion — sunset views over the lakes
• St. Vrain State Park (nearby — lake, camping, wildlife)
• Rocky Mountain National Park (~55 miles west via US-36)

The outdoor amenity profile at Barefoot Lakes is genuinely unlike anything else in the northern Colorado residential market. Two hundred acres of lakes within walking distance of most homes, three miles of lakeside trails with educational signage identifying native plants and wildlife, and a river corridor that runs through the community’s natural boundary create an outdoor environment that takes the word “amenity” out of the usual context and replaces it with something closer to a natural park that residents happen to live next to. The Cove’s resort pool, fitness facility, and sports courts cover the built-environment recreation layer. Peninsula Park’s amphitheater hosts community concerts and events. The complete outdoor package — water, trails, river, park, amenity center — is what Barefoot Lakes’ marketing promises, and the physical infrastructure is in place to deliver it.

Four Builder Options

Barefoot Lakes offers four different builders to choose from. Enough variety to please just about any buyer.

Education at Barefoot Lakes

Barefoot Lakes is served by the Mead School District (Weld County RE-3J) — a different school district than the rest of Firestone, which is primarily served by St. Vrain Valley RE-1J. This is a material distinction that buyers with school-age children must understand before purchasing. Mead schools are well-regarded, but families who specifically sought a Firestone home for St. Vrain Valley school access should verify that any home they are considering at Barefoot Lakes is actually assigned to St. Vrain Valley before proceeding. Most are not.

School District Note: Barefoot Lakes is served by Mead School District (Weld RE-3J), not St. Vrain Valley RE-1J, which serves most of Firestone. Buyers who specifically want St. Vrain Valley schools should verify district assignment for any specific address before purchasing. Always confirm directly with both districts before making an offer.

Where Barefoot Lakes Residents Eat

Barefoot Lakes’ dining circuit draws from the Firestone corridor along Colorado Boulevard for everyday options, the Town of Mead for immediate neighbors, and Longmont’s Main Street for the broader independent restaurant scene 15 minutes west. The Firestone commercial area has grown meaningfully along the I-25 corridor and provides solid daily dining options — including some genuine local institutions — even if it does not yet match the full density of a Longmont or Erie dining scene.

Life at Barefoot Lakes

Residents at Barefoot Lakes describe their community through a specific daily rhythm that most Front Range neighborhoods cannot offer: paddleboarding in the morning before work, walking the lakeside trail in the evening with the mountains in the background, swimming at The Cove on a Saturday afternoon, and watching a sunset from the Pavilion with neighbors they met at the pool. The physical infrastructure makes these things genuinely routine rather than aspirational. The lakes are not decorative water features — they are swimming, fishing, and paddling destinations that residents use continuously from spring through fall. The community’s design makes outdoor life the path of least resistance, which is what separates well-designed master-planned communities from ones that simply use outdoor language in their marketing.