Eastern Plains
The Trails
Explore Wild Colorado!
The Colorado Birding Trail links outdoor recreation sites, both public and private, into a network through a designated driving route. There are 20 trails on the Eastern Plains containing a variety of sites where you can view watchable wildlife. Some trails include hiking or walking paths where you can observe different wildlife and scenery. Start your adventure today and explore wild Colorado!
Trails on the Eastern Plains
Cache la Poudre
This trail, based in Fort Collins, allows easy access to almost every habitat in northern Colorado, from high-elevation forest to high-quality shortgrass prairie. Some of the sites here are right in the middle of town; some are breathtakingly remote.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Castlewood
Just south and west of Denver are some “roads less traveled” that traverse scenic canyons, oak scrublands, conifer forests, and old burn scars in the foothills. This trail is for those who want to get off the beaten path without traveling far.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Comanche
Some places on the plains are an acquired taste, but this is not one of them. This is what Southeast Colorado is all about.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Flatirons
Thanks to decades of open space preservation and land conservation, the Boulder area is packed with places to view wildlife. Boulderites love the outdoors, and if you come to visit, you’ll immediately see why.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Whooping and cackling like fiends, leaping into the air and puffing out their inflatable necks like frogs, the male Greater Prairie-Chickens put on a show each spring unrivaled in the animal kingdom.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Kingbird
Those visiting Denver with a hankering to experience the high plains need look no farther. This trail is full of fresh air from start to finish.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Mile High
Denver, the Mile High City, is famous as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains and as the capital city of Colorado. It also has an excellent system of parks and natural areas that make it possible to find nature right in town.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Pawnee
This lush prairie is home to seasonal wetlands, dramatic buttes, and some of the most famous migrant traps in Colorado. It is rightly one of the most popular wildlife watching destinations in the state.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Playa
Named for the shallow prairie lakes that appear and disappear with the unpredictable rains, the Playa Trail showcases ephemeral beauties.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Plover
The "Trail that Has It All", visitors can see a plethora of plovers, visit the Old Santa Fe Trail, or visit some of the areas large reservoirs.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Prairie Canyons
Of all the wonderful places hidden in Southeast Colorado, this trail might just run right past the most surprises.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Prairie Oases
Thanks to a chain of large lakes that attract birds by the tens of thousands in migration and winter, this has long been one of the most popular wildlife watching routes in Colorado.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Pronghorn
The Arkansas River Valley is so thickly packed with top-notch places to view wildlife that it sometimes boggles the traveler's mind.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Red Rocks
The west side of urban Denver runs smack into an area of hogback ridges, huge red sandstone rock formations, and semiarid shrublands. Thanks to a spectacular system of parks, huge tracts of beautiful habitat have been preserved for posterity, only minutes from the city.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Sandsage
The northeast corner of Colorado sits atop a special ecosystem, a mix of desert and prairie known as sandsage, home to tallgrass species with a little southwestern spice.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Snow Goose
The playa lakes and manmade reservoirs of this section of Southeast Colorado are magnets for waterbirds of every stripe.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
St. Vrain
The towns of Longmont and Lyons, along the St. Vrain River north of Boulder, support an amazingly high density of places to watch birds and other wildlife.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Two Buttes
Among Colorado birders, this area of Prowers and northern Baca Counties is nearly synonymous with migration.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Urban Refuges
Along this trail lie a rich collection of parks and pathways that allow astonishing nature study right inside the metro area.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location
Waterfowl
This trail encompasses the parks and waterways of northeast urban Denver, plus a large swath of the adjacent plains, stringing together the finest spots to enjoy nature right in the shadow of the city.» Hit the Trail » View Map Location