Bodo State Wildlife Area is winter range, not a city park

Bodo State Wildlife Area sits right at the edge of Durango, and it is easy to mistake it for an ordinary open-space park. It is not. State Wildlife Areas are bought and managed mainly to protect wildlife and the habitat they depend on, and Bodo is important winter range for deer and elk.

Two things surprise first-time visitors. First, access is not free walking. Colorado Parks and Wildlife requires everyone 16 and older to carry a valid hunting or fishing license, or a separate SWA pass, just to be on the property. Second, the area closes to the public for part of the winter so animals can rest during the hardest months without being pushed around. Pushing wintering elk and deer burns energy they cannot spare.

Dogs, target shooting, bikes, and other uses are limited here too, and the rules differ from a typical trail system. If you want to watch wildlife or hunt in season, that is welcome within the rules; this is simply not the place for an off-leash dog walk.

Because the closure dates and pass rules can change, check the Colorado Parks and Wildlife page for Bodo SWA before you go.