Colorado Porch

Topic

Outdoors and wildfire

Hunting and fishing rules, trails, rivers, camping, winter sports, dark skies, and wildfire risk and defensible space — the public-land side of Colorado life.

Page 5 of 19

Local notes

More outdoors and wildfire notes

451 sourced notes in this topic

Outdoors and wildfire

Crowley County grassfire safety starts close to the house

On Crowley County's dry, windy plains, the first wildfire defense is the cleared space and clutter you control right around the house.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Denver's designated natural areas keep prairie inside the city

Denver keeps five designated natural areas of native prairie, wetland, and habitat tucked inside its park system, managed wild on purpose.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Eldora: Boulder County's Hometown Ski Mountain

Past Nederland sits Boulder County's only downhill ski area, a compact mountain with surprising bite, a strong Nordic center, and an uncertain new future under possible town ownership.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Fish Creek Falls: a nearly 300-foot drop minutes from downtown Steamboat

A nearly 300-foot waterfall sits a few miles east of downtown Steamboat Springs, with a short wheelchair-accessible overlook and a longer trail down toward the base.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Fishing rules in Clear Creek country change by the water

Fishing along Clear Creek and nearby state wildlife areas follows state rules that can differ by stretch of water, so it pays to check before you cast.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

In Eagle County, securing trash is the heart of living with black bears

Black bears are common in Eagle County's valleys, and most conflicts trace back to food and garbage, so securing trash and removing attractants is the main way residents and bears stay out of trouble.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Indian Peaks Wilderness has its own rules above the trailheads

The Indian Peaks Wilderness on Boulder County's western edge has special protections, including leashed-dog and overnight-permit rules, on top of regular national forest land.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Lamar throws a four-day festival for the snow geese each February

Every February, Lamar hosts the High Plains Snow Goose Festival, a four-day birding event with guided field trips, expert talks, a photo contest, and a craft fair built around the winter migration.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Most of the high country here is national forest, with its own camping rules

The mountains around Ouray are largely Uncompahgre National Forest land, managed as part of the combined Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests, where dispersed camping and motorized travel follow Forest Service rules rather than a camp-anywhere free-for-all.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Motorboats on Blue Mesa need an inspection before launch

To keep out invasive zebra and quagga mussels, motorized and trailered boats must pass an aquatic-species inspection before launching at Blue Mesa Reservoir in Curecanti.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Rafting the Green and Yampa through Dinosaur requires a permit

Every river trip inside Dinosaur National Monument needs a permit, with different routes for multi-day, one-day, low-use, and play trips.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Red Rock Canyon turns old quarry ground into west-side open space

Red Rock Canyon Open Space turns Colorado Springs quarry and mill ground into trails, climbing, and links toward Section 16 and Intemann.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Ruby Hill turns a south Denver hill into a bike playground

Ruby Hill Bike Park adds slopestyle, dirt jumps, pump tracks, skills features, and a natural-surface loop to one of Denver's standout urban hills.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Sand Wash Basin is wild-horse country, and it has its own rules

West of Craig, the BLM manages the Sand Wash Basin as a wild horse area, which is public land for viewing and recreation but not a developed park.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

South Fork is the doorway to the Rio Grande National Forest

At South Fork, Highway 149 begins the Silver Thread byway and the Rio Grande National Forest opens up, with public-land rules that differ from a town or a park.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

The backcountry off Berthoud Pass is avalanche terrain

The slopes around Berthoud Pass draw backcountry skiers and riders into real avalanche country, where the CAIC forecast is part of the plan.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

The South Platte Heritage Corridor is Adams County's river spine

A 17-mile South Platte stretch from Commerce City to Brighton, framed around nature, culture, farming, restoration, and recreation.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

The South San Juan Wilderness is the county's remote high country

East of Pagosa Springs, the South San Juan Wilderness holds glacial peaks above 13,000 feet and long trails reached by Forest Service back roads, making it some of the most remote ground in the county.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

The Uncompahgre Wilderness is big, quiet, and closed to motors and bikes

The Uncompahgre Wilderness covers a large stretch of the San Juans east of Ouray, with several trails leading in from the west and the usual wilderness limits on motors and bikes.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

The wildlife refuges near Alamosa, and the crane migration

The Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and its neighbors in the San Luis Valley are managed for wildlife, with their own access rules, and the valley draws large numbers of migrating sandhill cranes.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Two Buttes is a State Wildlife Area, not a state park

Two Buttes Reservoir near Baca County is a Colorado State Wildlife Area, which means access depends on a license or pass and conditions can change with the water.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Waterton Canyon is where the Colorado Trail starts, and dogs stay home

Waterton Canyon on the South Platte is the Colorado Trail's northern start and a bighorn sheep range, so dogs are banned to protect the herd.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Camping rules in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness keep lakes and streams clear

In the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness above Westcliffe, special rules limit group size and keep camps and campfires set back from lakes and streams.

Read note ->

Outdoors and wildfire

Fountain Creek Regional Park is the county's marsh-and-pond corridor

Fountain Creek Regional Park is a 460-acre riparian corridor between Colorado Springs and Fountain, with trail, ponds, marsh, and a nature center.

Read note ->

Related topics