rocky mountain arsenal national wildlife refuge

What a lucky find! After several days in Estes Park, we were making our way back to the airport in Denver, but needed to kill some time before returning our rental car. I saw the wildlife refuge on the map, so we decided to make a detour to visit. Boy were we happy we did. It is only about 15 minutes from the airport, which makes it incredibly easy to visit on your way in or out of town. When you drive toward the entrance, you begin to notice that there are prairie dogs and rabbits everywhere! They were so fun to watch running from mound to mound while they chirped at us. That was only the beginning of the wildlife we saw during the hour we drove around. We saw a pack of bison grazing on a hill, deer around each turn, a coyote trotting over a hill, and even a bald eagle that was perched on one of the top branches of a tree near the entrance. Absolutely incredible! Had we known that this refuge existed earlier, we would have made a point to spend more time there before we left Denver. If you have some time to spare and enjoy seeing wildlife, don't miss this place!

Don't miss the visitor center at the refuge. The story of the arsenal and how it was converted to a wildlife refuge is fascinating. Displays are very well done. This was a Superfund site and it has not been very long since chemical weapons were stored here. All those signs on roads prohibiting unauthorized entry do make you a bit leery. Highlights of this winter visit included mule deer and four bald eagles at Lower Derby Lake. We did not see bison on this trip but there was "evidence" they had been in the area recently.

I vastly enjoyed the prairie dogs...this place should really be called Rocky Mountain Arsenal Prairie Dog Refuge. They were EVERYWHERE - constantly watching me, stalking me and yelling back and forth to each other reporting on my activities. They were adorable and crazy and I loved them. As a whole though, the preserve was only okay for me. It's very possible I just came at the wrong time of day at the wrong time of year. This is mostly just a place to hike and there didn't seem to be a lot to see. I mean, considering it's a nature preserve and not a zoo, this makes sense, but I guess I expected it to be prettier. There wasn't much going on w/ the plant life in September, with the exception of the burgeoning clumps of wild sunflowers which were lovely. I sat in the butterfly garden for a bit and observed the various birds enjoying the buffet of seeds and petals. I also don't think it helped that I was alone for most of the day. I only walked on the open, brush trails closest to the visitors' center b/c I was afraid of venturing too far and getting lost, encountering snakes; etc. I probably missed out on a lot. When my husband came to pick me up we drove through the bison area and it was fun, anticipating that we might come upon one at any moment b/c we could actually drive through part of the area where the bison roam freely. However, we mostly missed seeing the bison...only saw a couple from far away. I heard tales in the gift shop of how the herd had been blocking the road earlier in the day and could only imagine how awesome that would've been to be a part of.On the driving path, several interested deer gawked at us in passing; we also saw what appeared to be a family of deer with an adorable spotted fawn, wandering by a pond. There was also a paranoid coyote running around, continuously checking his flank. There really was a wide variety of animal life and I appreciated that aspect of it. I absolutely feel like I would have had a much better time if my husband had been able to come along and we had walked on the trails deeper in the park. I would recommend visiting here with a partner or a group in which you can be adventurous. Obviously, bring lots of water and something to stow your trash in, if you're using plastic bottles.

My last review of Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge expressed my disappointment that the only wildlife we viewed were Prairie Dogs and we drove through three times on two different days. This was a good visit and we saw many bison and deer. The bison were feeding and crossing the road...stay in your car here. There are several bison that are huge and we had a couple lock horns in a shoving match just off the side of the road. I am glad we came back. I did not see Pharrell William this visit.

This place is a hidden gem of greater Denver. Depending on the time of year, you will see nesting Eagles, more than 70 bison, mule deer, coyotes and more. I have not had much luck fishing here. Note that barbed hooks and live bait are prohibited. It's all catch and release as the area is a former superfund site. The walk is very flat and not particularly pretty, but if you like wildlife, check it out.

This was a great find on our way back to the airport. It's free! There's an informative visitor centre that explains the development of the park (where chemical warfare was made in WW2). Then you drive around the park. There are lots of tiny prairie dogs around, then a bison enclosure and we were fortunate enough to see the whole herd of bison cross the road! There were a few other deer and a bald eagle!! You could be unlucky and see virtually no animals and the enclosures are huge and the animals are free to roam to places where they wouldn't be seen from the roads. Great place. Worth a visit.

Really good Visitor Center. Gives you an appreciation for what went on at that location when it was an Arsenal and how they have converted it to a wildlife refuge. Attended a talk about raptors. Presenter was excellent. Knew her stuff and knew how to present it. Also the raptors themselves were fascinating. The drive around the refuge allows you to see a lot of wildlife even in winter. Very relaxing.

We took the wildlife tour through the arsenal last weekend. It is a short- 9 mile drive that you can take your time with and pull over and watch the wildlife. Bison, deer, lots of birds and a coyote were what we saw. The terrain is what we enjoyed- the tall prairie grass, lakes, rolling hills, forested patches were all wonderful even in this off season. It is so close to all of east Denver and downtown, I immediately thought that it would be a great stress buster to take the drive anytime you felt that life was going too fast. It is free, there is a visitor's center, and an unexpected treat.

First, we must give credit where credit is due. We were very pleased by the kindness and courtesy of Ranger Kevin Wood, and by the sincere enthusiasm of Volunteer Barb Weiss. We may have been "just lucky" to get so much of their time, as we visited during a sudden deep-freeze that may have kept many potential visitors away, there being some snow on the ground. Regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this Refuge, which differs in numerous important ways from the other Refuges that we have visited.The Refuge is sign-posted from the I-70 highway, and it is not far time-wise from downtown Denver. It covers an enormous piece of land that used to contain some sort of chemical factory. It was a Superfund site (Federal funding to remove contamination), and some of the clean-up consisted of removing a wide swath of soil from one area, an area that is easily identified because it is lower than the surrounding plains. The removed soil was then piled-up in large mounds on the property, which are easily seen, and which are fenced-off.The Visitor Center itself is only a few years old, and is as good as some National Park visitor centers. Also, unlike many other NWRs, Rocky Mountain Arsenal is staffed also on weekends. All of this is exceptional for an NWR. The Center includes an auditorium and teaching rooms. There is newly-paved parking, some of it under roofs that are topped by solar panels - thereby guaranteeing solar power, and keeping the cars cool at the same time - a clever architectural feature! There is a store with National-Park-style knick-knacks to purchase. The main room of the Visitor Center has a high ceiling and large picture-windows. It has informative displays. This was far-and-away better than the very limited facilities at most NWRs that we have visited over the years. Despite the very cold temperatures and the snow upon the ground, the roads had been plowed, and so we followed the recommended way to see the place: follow the boundary roads. A bison herd was visible from a distance, having found some deep grass for browsing. Prairie dog towns - "we have both black-tail and white-tail", although we only found black-tail - were everywhere. Even in the cold, prairie dogs sat alertly upon their mounds. Small groups of mule deer were evident, including one finely-antlered male. At the furthest distance from the Visitor Center, we chanced upon a serious bird-watching group, who pointed out a bald eagle's enormous nest (allegedly still in use). There were very few other visitors on this very cold day, which no doubt worked to our advantage. In one place, we had a "floating bridge" over a pond entirely to ourselves.This was our most satisfying visit ever to an NWR. We spent several peaceful hours here.We hope that the enlightened thinking that led to the building of the modern Visitor Center will be applied at other NWRs throughout the country. We also hope that this review will prove helpful to other Nature enthusiasts.

Another gem in our Refuge System, conveniently located between the airport and downtown. Even in November, we saw a variety of perched raptors (golden eagle, rough-legged hawk, kestrel, ferruginous hawk), magpies, and sparrows and finches. The boardwalk over the lake presented great views of shoveler ducks. Unfortunately, the visitor center is closed Monday and Tuesday; we would have liked to see the exhibits and read a checklist of recent sightings.

We ended up spending hours here, its such an amazing place and its free! The visitor center is super informative and the staff are wonderful. For kids, they can check out these explorer backpacks that have binoculars and other cool stuff. My kids loved it! We first drove around to spot animals. We saw lots of prairie dogs, birds and bison. The key to seeing the bison is to come early in the day. Afterwards, we went on a hike around the area. Walked over to the lakes, it was beautiful and peaceful. When we came to return the backpacks, they gave the kids a jr. ranger pin which literally made the whole trip for them. We'll be back!

It's close to the city but you can see coyote, hawks, eagles, deer, bison and a variety of smaller birds. They have catch and release lakes, hiking trails, drives. I haven't yet been in the nature center, it's usually a drive thru before dark for me.

I believe the Wild Life (sic)has relocated to LODO. There appeared to be traces of Bison based on the attached photo; however, we sighted (at a distance) what appeared to be a Ranger (or Pharrell Williams) strategically placing these within the Bison area, The faux bison poop appeared to be made of rubberized plastic. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a Spencer's Gifts price tag of $4.95. I believe the Park Personnel (or nefarious imposter) could save a great deal of money purchasing these, in bulk, direct from the manufacturer. We did see a few Prairie Dogs and a few small birds; we drove through the park four times in a two day period, at different times of the day, and at various temperatures. The entry fee (none) was worth the price (free) as long as you did not spend too much on gas to get here. Since it is free, we may try it at a different time of year with much cooler temperatures.

The visitor center was fantastic. The visitor center has an intriguing exhibit which displays the history of the refuge - you will understand the historical reference to "arsenal" in the name. Great gift shop - Barb, one the volunteers working in the gift shop, was charming and was able to help me find some perfect and worthwhile souvenirs for family members.We visited the refuge on two occasions. Our last visit was en route to the Denver Airport. On our first visit, we were able to see two bison (with the use of binoculars), a deer, many waterfowl, and prarie dogs. On our second visit, we saw the herd of approximately 40-50 bison at close range. I would highly recommend a visit. Please make sure that you stop at the Visitor Center.

This magnificent piece of wilderness is located in the middle of the Denver metro area -- yet you feel as if you are miles from anywhere. The trails are lovely and there are a variety of lengths so this place works for everyone from families with young children out for a stroll to medium length adult hikers. On our hike we saw an entire herd of buffalo/bison relatively close up. (There was a sign warning us not to approach the fence so we stayed on the trail about 50 ft form the animals themselves.) We also saw plenty of birds and some gorgeous fall grasslands. BEAUTIFUL! Oh . . . one additional plus, there is no admission charge. This place is absolutely FREE.