Eastern Plains

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.

Along this trail lie a rich collection of parks and pathways that allow astonishing nature study right inside the metro area.

Among Colorado birders, this area of Prowers and northern Baca Counties is nearly synonymous with migration.

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.

The playa lakes and manmade reservoirs of this section of Southeast Colorado are magnets for waterbirds of every stripe.

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.

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.

The Arkansas River Valley is so thickly packed with top-notch places to view wildlife that it sometimes boggles the traveler's mind.

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.

Of all the wonderful places hidden in Southeast Colorado, this trail might just run right past the most surprises.

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.

Named for the shallow prairie lakes that appear and disappear with the unpredictable rains, the Playa Trail showcases ephemeral beauties.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Some places on the plains are an acquired taste, but this is not one of them. This is what Southeast Colorado is all about.

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.

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.