Category: | Wildlife Refuge |
Address: | 6550 Gateway Rd, Commerce City, CO 80022 |
Phone: | +1 303-289-0930 |
Site: | fws.gov |
Rating: | 4.5 |
AD
Adventure VR
I love this place. Every time I go I see something new. I go there several times a month. It is on my way home from work. Looking at the wildlife helps me unwind after a long day. I like going in the spring and fall when the weather is cooler and the grass isn’t so high. It makes it easier to see the wildlife. My favorite is the bison area. They are not always easy to spot but when they are out it is an amazing experience. I recommend going to Lake Mary. There is a floating bridge. Walking over it is an unusual but fun experience. They extended the wildlife drive. It is an interesting drive and worth going around if you have some extra time.
LA
Lavena Friday
Buffalo! Lots of deer, fox, birds, bunnies...saw it all on a short drive to check it out before bringing the kids to hike. It is a fun place to come walk and get outdoors. I would love to see it be more accessible from the north side. They have the gates and roads available, just open it up! We live three minutes from the refuge, but it takes twenty minutes to get to the entrance, poorly planned. Would love to spend more time there if they would make it more accessible.
LA
Laura Sheets
There is a lot of beautiful wildlife and scenery here! They opened an 8 mile wildlife drive that has enhanced the experience as well. There are several trails to explore and a nice visitor center to explain the history here. This is a great place to get closer to nature without having to drive too far from Denver. Hopefully those coming to enjoy continue to respect the wildlife and the refuge guidelines so we can all come here for many years to come.
ED
Edy the Coyote Encinias
What a triumphant story! A place once used for death and destruction now a place of life. Beautiful area with cottonwoods, streams, ponds and grasslands. Went for the first time on a week day and it was empty of people. It was like a glimpse of the prairies past before white settlement. Lots of deer, ducks, songbirds and reptiles. Nice visitor center with a helpful staff.
JO
John Schilling
The visitor center is nice. They have displays showing the history from homesteaders to the arsenal to the wildlife refuge. We took the wildlife driving tour, which was disappointing. On our drive we saw a couple dear at a distance, a few birds and two bison, one standing at a distance and one lying down. Hardly worth the 11 mile drive.
NE
Nephi Wright
I enjoy walking around this park though it is very flat. Occasionally there are buffalo here, just never when I go. I have seen large numbers of deer, some raccoons, a fox, and numerous water foul and birds of prey. They currently seem to be in the middle of several maintenance projects, which is good because they were very needed.
CH
Christopher Turner
This is one of my favorite places to visit. They recently opened an 8-9 mile nature drive that give you a few more opportunities to catch a glimpse of the bison as well as some beautiful city views. Its so crazy that you can find a place like this so close to the city. I tell everyone I know that they need to check it out!
JO
Joseph Mason
Great place for a drive with a good chance of seeing bison, deer, and rabbits. Prairie dogs and birds are abundant and snakes are around. You can drive around the park with several trails to hike including right from the welcome center. Which has a cool little museum and shop with very helpful and knowledgeable staff.
GR
Grant Medlin
Plenty of wildlife, and the recently restored native prairie is just beautiful. Lots of bison, and I also was able to see coyotes, prairie dogs, ducks, hawks, and hundreds of deer. When the whole place is restored, it will be incredible. Also, the black-footed ferret exhibit near the visitor center is cool.
TO
Tom Raines
This place is wonderful, free, beautiful, and has a wonderful visitor center all about the wildlife and the Rocky Flats site that used to be there. Plenty of trailed to walk, miles and miles or roads to drive to watch dear, buffalo, foxes, and birds in and around. Open sunup to sundown.
ST
Stephen Pack
Good reuse of land -- animals were all over most of this place when it was a military installation, so keeping that status quo is great. Increasing public access over the years means more hiking & touring opportunities to see the bison & birds. The burrowing owls are cool.
RE
Reese Ferrier
A great refuge from the city right in the middle of the city. This is a great place to go birding and see wildlife. There are some hiking trails but not a lot. They are working on opening some more though. Also, on of the only places to see Bison in the "wild".
JU
Justin Way
Beautiful landscape and a wide range of ways to experience the great outdoors. There is a driving tour (where the Buffalo roam) and some trails encompassing the various lakes on site. A must see for any Denver resident or wildlife enthusiast!
AN
Andrew Thain
Unusual nature reserve just beside downtown Denver Great place to see buffalo. Prairie dogs everywhere!! Well worth spending an hour driving around. Very few people so nice and quite. The view of Denver in the background is quite unusual!
SA
Sarah
First off, this place is completely free which makes it great. There are plenty of trails and lots of wildlife to see (birds, deer, buffalo, prairie dogs). The visitors center is very informative and has activities for kids as well.
ME
Melanie Ling
Very cool stop in Denver. It was great learning about the history of this arsenal turned refuge. Great scenic drive through the park. So many prairie dogs! Thought we may have spotted a bison but it was too far away to be sure!
AL
Alan Loo
A place that produce weapons during WwII and the cold war. The arsenal has been cleaned up to make it a wild animal preserve in the middle of Denver. Scenic views and lakes. Go see the Buffalo, deer and birds. No admission fee.
ST
Steve Ruge
A nice hidden spot of nature in the middle of suburbia. Lots of trails to hike and an interpretive center. Even better now that the soil has stopped glowing. (It used to be a chemical manufacturing area for the war effort.)
PE
Peggy Mason
Highly recommend the free bus tours offered at the visitors center. You can check out binoculars and learn so much more from the tour guide. It takes about a 1.5 hours. The guide says the best time to visit is 6:30am.
SA
Sally Stafford
This wildlife refuge offers a variety of habitats, flora and fauna. You can hike easily without fear of injury or leaving children and elderly behind. Bring sunbrellas for shade if you like, but they scare the animals.
AL
Alex Preston
This is a pretty great refuge to check out on foot or in your vehicle. There are several miles of trails that take you through native prairie, or, for those that wish, you can drive through a large amount of the area.
MA
Mariely Perez
I loved it so relaxing and inspiring. To have a good time in the company of nature
RI
Richard Rohrer
Interesting place. Nice use for an old military factory. Saw several wading birds. Not much on the prairie part, but did see several bison and deer. Nice visitor center. Would probably be hot in the summer.
ER
Eric Ellis
My friends and I had a wonderful time on the driving trail and saw tons of wildlife, even close to the road! Be sure to bring your binoculars and sunscreen, though. Still—a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
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Nean Hawe
Saw a bunch of deer, but no bison. Kinda pretty, but also kinda boring. Visitor center and ferret exhibit close early. The hiking is easy, but not a lot of shade, so go in the morning or on a cool day.
MA
Marie Bock
It was a great place to go for a drive with my kids. We were surrounded by bison at one point - in a good way. Overall, it was an amazing experience. They have guided bus tours on certain days.
JU
Justin Facing
It has alot of wildlife and is also some pretty scenery. The roads are confusing to navigate and some of the plant life had been burned by wildfire. Still a very lively and beautiful place to visit.
WI
Will Jaremko-Wright
Great urban refuge close to Denver; great habitat for birding (the purpose of our visit) and by the looks of it also used for diverse outdoor recreation opportunities (fishing, photography, etc).
KE
Kevin Rich
Great walking trails around lakes with lots of interesting plant life to observe. The area is well known for buffalo and other wildlife viewing. Early mornings are always great for observing.
AN
Anthony G
Great place for spotting wildlife, taking a leisurely walk around the lake, and fishing. Visitor center highlights the history of the arsenal and has a nice area with activities for kids.
HE
Heather Teachey
THIS IS NOT A DOG HIKING AREA. NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES DO NOT ALLOW DOGS ON OR OFF LEASH. DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG TO HIKE HERE, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE BY THE RANGERS OR PATROL.
A
A Private User
For a Californian, it was a great introduction to the American Plains environment. A superfund clean up site. You would never know the awful things that went on there in the past.
JO
John Marchese
Great birding drive through. Nice trails. Prairie dogs everywhere. Saw bison and deer. Visitor center was closed Monday and Tuesday but there was a station with maps and info.
RI
Rio Burgess
An example of a crazy level of reclaiming land, previous chemical weapons facility, now a great big piece of land back to its natural state. Pretty cool, great visitors center.
BO
Bobbie Cascio
We were visiting from Virginia on a rainy day. Perfect for the driving tour. The visitors center is a good place to start to understand the historic nature of the property.
AL
Alan Musselman
A very large park with many places to walk around. Unfortunately I did not see any animals, but the area was beautiful and peaceful place to walk around and explore.
BE
Beth B
weird, no shade for trails, you can rthe loop over and over and never see much. Went inside to check ot the visitor center which I did like but the history is eerie!
CU
Curtis Culver
This place is in the middle of town, and gives a sense of peacefulness and openness. There easy hiking trails, lakes, wildlife, and catch and release fishing.
BR
Brody Walsh
My favourite little retreat. so close to the city, very convenient. Always will see some kind of wildlife. Peaceful and open. Very pleasant experience every time
TI
Tim McElheny
Over all great place to excape the rat race on the roads of Denver. A really nice drive to see the different animals that that roamed this part of the country.
TY
Ty180
From what this piece of land used to be with its dark past definitely nice to see it come alive with wildlife. Good to have a quiet park so close to the city.
TO
toy review
Love taking kids here to see buffalo and coyotes... Nice visitor center with kids crafts and activities. Learning experience inside for the whole family.
WI
William Farris
We saw deer, bison, blue herons, and many other types of birds. Most of the paths do not have any shade, so keep that in mind when choosing when to go.
ME
megan seymour
Saw tons of prairie dogs, deer, eagles, and waterfowl. It was a cold, windy, and dreary day, but it felt great to get outside and see some critters.
SA
Sara Way
All the animals in the visitors center are stuffed. Only reason I have 3 stars is because the live buffalo and prairie dogs we saw out on the trails.
AU
Aubri Bleacher
Very cool nature drive. We saw so many prairie dogs, birds, fish, and deer. Great experience. Definitely recommend if you have some time in Denver
DE
Devin Langer
Amazing place! There is a driving tour that goes around the park where you can see bison, prairie dog, deer and plenty of birds. Highly recommend!
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Naglaa Eid
Make sure to get binoculars from the visitor centre. The wildlife there is worth a closer look! The lady in the visitor centre was super nice too
HU
Humberto Rodriguez
Perfect place to connect with wildlife and fauna
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Zhou Yu
Great place to enjoy the nature. Two issues: 1. no running on trails. WT?! 2. Some roads are closed. It is not always marked properly on a map.
MY
Mylee Khristoforov
A lovely, safe, beautifully managed, clean, quiet, flora- and wildlife- filled oasis in the city. Ignore the conspiracy review, and visit.
MA
Martin Forehand
Central park of Denver. Prestine park, Awesome. It Rocks!! Please help keep it clean and un-vandalized. Like a trip into the past...
RA
Randy Majors
Worth a visit to enjoy natural habitat so close to the heart of Denver. Boston, bald eagles, antelope, deer and lots of waterfowl.
JE
Jeff Hettinger
Great trails and a fun place to visit so close to the city. A beautiful nature preserve and always plenty of wildlife to take in.
MA
Martin Purmensky
This is a cool stop by. You drive in your car and see all kinds of animals. Prairie dogs everywhere. Buffalo, dear, birds, etc...
SO
Sock Monkey
A gorgeous refuge you always get to see great wildlife and beautiful views. It is easy to forget your just minutes from downtown.
SA
Samantha Villatoro
This is an excellent place to bring your friends and family for a day to come see the bison herd or the beautiful bald eagles.
JO
John Hoopes
Free! Need I say more? Wildlife spotting can be sporadic, but the visitors center is quite nice and a good place for kids.
KA
Katie Roche
We saw prairie dogs, deer, raptors and hawks and BISON! Really nice slow drive through a beautiful landscape. No entry fee.