Mountains
Jackson County
14 Porch Notes tied to Jackson County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Home and property (1)
Water and land (1)
Outdoors and wildfire (6)
Outdoors and wildfire
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge sits in the valley south of Walden
The Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge protects high-mountain wetlands and sagebrush south of Walden, with a self-guided auto tour route and a short nature trail for watching birds and other wildlife.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Around North Park, national forest camping has rules even when it is free
Much of the public land ringing North Park is national forest, where dispersed camping is allowed under Forest Service rules that vary by ranger district.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
North Park is fishing and hunting country, and the rules change by water and unit
The streams and reservoirs of Jackson County draw anglers and hunters, but fishing and hunting rules vary by water and by game management unit, so check the current ones.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
North Park's dark skies and the Moose Visitor Center star nights
A wall of mountains keeps Front Range light out of North Park, and rangers' star nights near the new moon let you borrow a telescope to look up.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
State Forest State Park sits in North Park, and a pass gets you in
State Forest State Park east of Walden is run by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and like other state parks it needs an entrance pass to drive in.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Never Summer Wilderness rises on the east edge of North Park
The Never Summer Wilderness shares a boundary with Rocky Mountain National Park, and reaching its Jackson County trailheads means rough roads, seasonal closures, and wilderness rules.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
Cameron Pass on Highway 14 is the winter gateway into North Park
The main paved route between Fort Collins and Walden climbs over Cameron Pass on Highway 14, a high crossing where winter weather can turn a drive serious.
Read note ->Cars and driving
Highway 14 through North Park is a named scenic byway
The drive over Cameron Pass and across North Park is the Cache la Poudre - North Park Scenic Byway, a route CDOT recognizes for its river, pass, and wildlife country.
Read note ->Local rules (1)
History and culture (3)
History and culture
Walden's moose came from a 1970s reintroduction in North Park
The moose now common around Walden trace to a state wildlife project that released moose into North Park in the late 1970s, and nearby State Forest State Park is known as the moose viewing capital of Colorado.
Read note ->History and culture
Walden's Never Summer Rodeo: North Park's Biggest Weekend
Each June, Walden hosts a pro rodeo that has run for more than 80 years and pulls the whole valley into one long ranching celebration.
Read note ->History and culture
Walden's pioneer museum lives inside an 1882 log cabin
The North Park Pioneer Museum fills an 1880s log cabin with three floors of artifacts that explain how this high basin became ranch country.
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