Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado.
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge is one of over 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System It is situated south of Walden, Colorado at an elevation ranging from 8,100 to 8,700 feet above sea level making it the highest refuge in the lower 48 states. Located in an intermountain glacial basin approximately 35 miles wide and 45 miles long; an area that is the northernmost of four such "parks" in Colorado; the region is known locally as North Park.
North Park opens north into Wyoming. It is rimmed on the west by the Park Range, on the south by the Rabbit Ears Mountains, on the southeast by the Never-Summer Range, and on the east and northeast by the Medicine Bow Range. Numerous slow, meandering streams are interspersed on the basin floor, eventually combining to form the headwaters of the North Platte River. Most of the flood plain along the streams is irrigated meadow. The low rises adjacent to the flood plain and the higher rises on the Refuge are characterized by sagebrush grasslands.
Summer in North Park is warm, but brief. Just enough sun and rain occur to green the bottomlands and upland slopes and to yield fingerling trout in the streams. Winter has nearly always driven less hardy and vigorous creatures, including humans, to lower elevations.
The majority of Refuge land was purchased with Duck Stamp funds, however in March of 2008 local ranch owner, Gloria Chandler, willed her ranch, consisting of 2,246 acres, to the Refuge. The Chandler Unit is mostly located to the east of the junction of State Highways 125 and 127, approximately 11 miles north of the town of Walden. It is made up of a mixture of habitats including: irrigated meadow, riparian, sagebrush uplands, wetlands and mixed conifer and aspen. Pinkham Creek flows through this unit. The Chandler Unit remains closed to the public.
Nearby Activities
- Auto Touring
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic & Cultural Site
- Hunting
- Wildlife Viewing
Directions
To reach the Refuge visitor center and headquarters, travel 8 miles south of Walden, Colorado, on Highway 125, turn east off the highway on County Road 32 and travel 1 mile. The auto tour route is 4 miles south of Walden, Colorado, on Highway 125. Turn west off the highway to begin the tour.
