SOUTHWEST DENVER | THE MITCH LAZAR TEAM
Bow Mar and Columbine Valley: The Lake and the Fairway
THE SHORT ANSWER
Southwest of Denver sit two small incorporated towns most metro buyers have never toured. Bow Mar is built around a private lake that residents can actually boat and swim on, a genuinely rare amenity in landlocked Colorado. Columbine Valley wraps the Columbine Country Club golf course next door. Bow Mar recorded 20 sales in the last 12 months at a median of $2,010,607, ranging from $799,000 to $4,500,000 per REcolorado. Columbine Valley trades so rarely that individual sales tell the story better than any average.
A Lake You Can Use
Bow Mar was founded in 1958 around Bowles Lake, and the arrangement has held ever since: roughly 350 homes, every one carrying rights to a private lake with a beach, docks, and permission for non-motorized and electric boats. Residents sail, paddle, and swim through the summer and skate in hard winters. Colorado has reservoirs and it has water features in subdivisions, but a genuine private residential lake with swimming rights is close to unique in the metro. The town runs its own government, keeps its own roads, and has grown almost not at all in seven decades, which is precisely the point.
Columbine Valley Next Door
Columbine Valley, incorporated in 1959, took the opposite route: it organized around the Columbine Country Club, whose course has hosted championship play and gives the town its shape. Homes here sit on generous lots backing fairways or lining the quiet interior streets, with a mix of original mid-century builds and substantial renovations. Only two homes changed hands in the last 12 months, which is the clearest possible statement about turnover. Buyers who want in usually wait, and often buy through relationships rather than listings.
Market Snapshot
| MEASURE | BOW MAR |
| Sales, last 12 months | 20 |
| Median sale price | $2,010,607 per REcolorado |
| Sale range | $799,000 to $4,500,000 |
| Columbine Valley | 2 sales in 12 months, too few for a meaningful median |
| Metro context | Luxury homes metro wide went under contract in a median of 17 days in July 2026 (DMAR) |
Data: REcolorado MLS and DMAR Market Trends. Updated alongside our Denver Luxury Market Report.
What Buyers Should Know
The trade here is commute for lifestyle. Both towns sit southwest of the city, which puts the Denver Tech Center well over half an hour away in traffic, so these are not corridor-commuter addresses. What you get instead is a small town with its own government, very low turnover, and amenities that cannot be replicated: 20 sales a year in Bow Mar and 2 in Columbine Valley means the total market is smaller than a single Greenwood Village subdivision. One caution on research: “Bow Mar Heights” is an unrelated Denver neighborhood and its sales should never be blended with the town’s figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Bow Mar, Colorado?
Bow Mar is a small incorporated town southwest of Denver, straddling the Arapahoe and Jefferson county line near Bowles Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. It borders Columbine Valley and is roughly twenty minutes from downtown Denver outside of peak traffic.
How much do homes cost in Bow Mar?
Twenty homes sold in Bow Mar over the last 12 months at a median of $2,010,607 per REcolorado, ranging from $799,000 to $4,500,000. Lake proximity and lot position account for much of the spread.
Do Bow Mar homes come with lake access?
Yes. Bow Mar homes carry rights to the private lake, including the beach and docks, with non-motorized and electric boats permitted. Residential lake rights of this kind are rare in the Denver metro, and they are the primary reason buyers seek the town out.
What is the difference between Bow Mar and Columbine Valley?
They are neighboring incorporated towns with different organizing features. Bow Mar is built around a private lake with swimming and boating rights, while Columbine Valley is built around the Columbine Country Club golf course. Columbine Valley trades far less often, with only two sales in the last 12 months.
Explore Nearby
For the corridor alternatives with shorter Tech Center commutes, see Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, and Centennial. Compare private and gated options in Gated Communities of South Denver, or see the full Best Denver Suburbs guide.
INTERESTED IN BOW MAR?
Twenty two sales a year across both towns. If you want in, the work starts well before a listing appears.
Get new Bow Mar and Columbine Valley listings by email
This content is currently unavailable. Please check back later or contact the site's support team for more information.