A variety of outdoor recreational activities are available right in the heart of the Denver metro area, at Cherry Creek State Park. This 4,200-acre park includes Cherry Creek Reservoir, a great place for boating, jet skiing, swimming, and fishing. The park also offers camping, biking, horseback riding, nature trails, an off-leash dog area, and even […]
Tag: outdoors
Fall in Love with Fall
Today is the first day of fall. Days and nights are getting cooler, pumpkin-flavored products are everywhere, and the leaves are changing to brilliant reds and golds. There’s a lot to love about fall — except, of course, the fact that it means winter is coming! Around the House Now is the time for planting […]
Time Machine Tuesday: Denver Mountain Parks
Trick question: how can you be in Denver and in the mountains at the same time? You can, because forty-six mountain parks — places like Red Rocks, Lookout Mountain, Genesee, Chief Hosa, and Evergreen Lake — are Denver Mountain Parks. This means that, although outside of Denver city limits, these parks are owned and managed […]
Colorado State Parks: Chatfield
If you’re looking for a getaway that is conveniently located in metro Denver, check out Chatfield State Park. Here you can find a variety of activities for every age and interest. Things to do include boating, birding, hiking and biking, camping, fishing, swimming, and horseback riding. There’s a field where your model airplane can take […]
Colorado Fishing Atlas
Looking for a great place to go fishing, but not sure where to start? Then check out the Colorado Fishing Atlas from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Here you’ll find an interactive map of fishing locations across the state. Click on a location on the map to get driving directions and information on fish species; […]
Colorado State Parks: Castlewood Canyon
Located near Franktown, Colorado, Castlewood Canyon State Park is a great getaway just a short drive from the Denver metro area. Hiking, picnicking, rock climbing, birding, and horseback riding are some of the popular activities in the park. Dogs are allowed on most of the trails, except for the East Canyon Preservation Trail which is […]
New Birdwatching Guide
Did you know that 507 different species of birds have been documented in Colorado? If you’re interested in birding, you’ll enjoy the brand-new Colorado Birding Trail Northeastern Colorado Trail Guide. This guidebook is a follow-up to three previous guides, which cover the southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern regions of the state. Featuring beautiful photographs, the guidebooks […]
When and Where to View Mountain Goats
High in the mountains above timberline lives one of my favorite Colorado wildlife species, the mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus). In spite of their name, mountain goats are actually not true goats. In fact, mountain goats are more closely related to some African antelope species than they are to domestic goats! Male mountain goats (“billies”) can […]
Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX)
Colorado Parks & Wildlife has a free new app that “endeavors to map every trail in the state of Colorado.” Currently, about 40,000 miles of trails have been mapped. These include a variety of trails on federal, state, and local government lands. You can use the app to browse and map trails based on your […]
Enjoy the Outdoors with Your Dog
Experiencing Colorado’s great outdoors is even more fun when you bring your dog! Dogs are allowed in most Colorado State Parks, where they can enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, boating, and swimming with you. As you plan your spring and summer recreation, be sure to check Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Bring the Dog Along! webpage. Here […]
Colorado State Parks: Boyd Lake
Boyd Lake State Park is located near Loveland, Colorado, close to Longs Peak. Since the lake is the park’s main feature, most of the park’s activities revolve around water sports; however the park also offers hiking and biking trails, hunting, and camping. The area that became Boyd Lake State Park had originally belonged to the […]
Avalanche Safety
This winter’s heavy snowfalls have created extremely dangerous avalanche conditions in the high country, and Colorado has already had seven fatalities so far this season. Many highways and ski areas are closed, but if you are planning on venturing out, take time to prepare yourself for what to do in case of an avalanche. The […]
How Colorado Keeps Its Waters Full of Fish
Not all of Colorado’s fishes are born in the waters they call home. Each year, Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) breeds over 90 million fish in 19 hatcheries across the state. These fish are then distributed to waters around Colorado. There are two main reasons for fish stocking — one is to provide more fish […]
Colorado State Parks: Barr Lake
If you’re looking for a quick getaway near the Denver metro area, check out Barr Lake State Park, located near Brighton. The park includes boating, fishing, a nature trail and Nature Center, and wildlife viewing stations. And while boating and fishing aren’t in season right now, there are lots of other things to do […]
2018 is Year of the Bird
All this year, conservation and wildlife organizations across the US have been celebrating Year of the Bird, a campaign to bring awareness to the importance of birds and to celebrate the centennial of the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Here in our state, Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) is participating in Year of […]
The “Maverick” of Carpenter Ranch
Farrington “Ferry” Carpenter was a Harvard- and Princeton- educated rancher whose autobiography, Confessions of a Maverick, is one of the most frequently checked out items in our library collection. Today, his Routt County ranch, still a working cattle operation, has been preserved as a nature center. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Carpenter (1886-1980) spent time in […]
Colorado State Parks: Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), located just outside of Salida, is a popular spot for kayaking and whitewater rafting. In fact, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the Arkansas River is the “most commercially rafted river in the United States.” The park also offers camping, fishing, hiking, biking, and wildlife watching and features event […]
Where to Go to See Fall Colors
“Leaf peeping season” has arrived. Where are the best places to go to view Colorado’s colorful aspens? For suggestions on Colorado’s most colorful state parks, visit Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s Fall Colors page. Here you can find suggestions not only for where to go, but how – whether you prefer a car trip, camping, hiking, […]
Summer Wildlife Viewing
Check out Marmot Fest at Staunton State Park this weekend, June 23-24, 2018 and maybe you’ll spot a yellow-bellied marmot! Summer is officially here, and with it comes great opportunities for viewing wildlife in all parts of the state. Some species, like hummingbirds, are only here in the summer. Others, like mountain goats, live in […]
Rattlesnakes are Back – Be Cautious
This is the time of year when many Coloradans are looking forward to getting back out on the hiking trails. It’s also the time of year when rattlesnakes are emerging from hibernation, increasing your chances of encountering rattlesnakes. In fact, news reports indicate that two hikers have already been bitten by rattlesnakes in Colorado this […]