The Highlands Ranch pickleball boom
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The Southpark Pickleball Complex, in Highlands Ranch. Photo: Courtesy: Highlands Ranch Metro District
Highlands Ranch is bucking America's pickleball slowdown.
Reality check: Across many of the nation's biggest cities, the sport's pandemic-era boom has cooled.
- Pickleball courts across the 100 most populous U.S. cities increased just 4% from 2025 to 2026.
- Compare that with 13% growth in 2025, and 14% in 2024.
Yes, but: The craze remains strong in Highlands Ranch.
Driving the news: A new 19-court pickleball complex opened this year just off C-470.
- More than 400 people showed up for the late-January opening, and recreation officials say the courts have been packed nearly every day since.
"This has been a real light-bulb moment," metro district recreation manager Dave Parks tells Axios.
By the numbers: Youth pickleball camps in the area are up 162%, learn-to-play clinics increased 35% and leagues jumped 84% from last year.
Behind the scenes: At 10am last week, 17 of Southpark's 19 courts were occupied; the other two were being resurfaced.
- Eighteen kids took lessons on three courts. A senior center reserved two others.
- The remaining courts were filled with adult players.
Court rentals cost $12 per hour and are capped at two hours.
Zoom out: Communities nationwide are pulling back on court construction as budgets tighten and parks departments juggle competing recreation demands, Trust for Public Land's Will Klein tells Axios.
Between the lines: Southpark's location away from nearby homes may help explain why Highlands Ranch still has room to expand pickleball facilities as other communities grapple with noise complaints and legal challenges.
- Lone Tree, for example, opened six courts in 2023 and faced a public nuisance lawsuit the following year.
- Southpark is the metro district's largest pickleball-only venue and includes space for lessons, leagues and casual play.
- District rec managers say it's also the largest facility in Denver's south-metro region.
The bottom line: Pickleball's growth may be slowing in big cities, but Highlands Ranch is showing the game still has room to expand in suburbs with space to play.