This high, windswept, spectacularly scenic pass over the Continental Divide is accessible by road year-round, making it one of the few places to look for White-tailed Ptarmigan in winter and spring, when they sport their all-white plumage. However, ptarmigan are well-camouflaged and difficult to spot at all seasons. Finding one may take hours of strenuous hiking at extremely high altitude – or, if you’re very lucky, they might be right next to your car when you pull up. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is possible near the pass, but not common. Keep an eye out for Yellow-bellied Marmots and, in rocky areas, pika.
Summit
Winter and Summer Playground
For travelers driving west from Denver, Summit County offers the first taste of the West Slope. Famous for ski resorts like Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin, and Copper Mountain, it’s also home to well-preserved natural areas that offer good wildlife watching at any time of year. Right in the town of Silverthorne, one can find nesting Ospreys all summer and Barrow’s Goldeneyes all winter. The county’s mountain wetlands support Wilson’s Warblers and Lincoln’s Sparrows in summer, and in any season, weather permitting, the more adventurous travelers can walk the Continental Divide from Loveland Pass in search of ptarmigan. But high elevations are not the area’s only charm; to the north, this trail descends into the arid semi-desert ecosystems of southwestern Grand County and the Colorado River canyons, where southwestern species like Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Juniper Titmice can be found. This trail offers something special for every season.
Cucumber Gulch Nature Preserve
Admission: Ski pass purchase required for winter access
Ownership: Municipal
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license is required for everyone 18 or older to access any State Wildlife Area or State Trust Land leased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Entrance fee for Pumphouse Recreation Area
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife, BLM and Private
Montezuma Road
Beginning right at the edge of the Keystone ski resort, this road leads up through the historic town of Montezuma, which has enough historic abandoned buildings to be listed as a ‘ghost town’ in some publications, even though a few dozen people still live here year-round. Between Keystone and Montezuma, the road is paved, and plowed in winter, making this one of the best places in Summit County to access high-elevation forests all year. However, the birding is best in the early summer, when you may find woodpeckers in beetle-killed pines near the start of the road, Pine Grosbeaks and Golden-crowned Kinglets in the spruce-fir farther up, and MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s Warblers nesting in the extensive streamside willows. The Snake River, which runs along the road, can be excellent for American Dipper, even in winter, if there are some open patches in the water. This road is very popular with outdoor recreationists at all times of year, especially on weekends, so wildlife viewing is generally best on weekday mornings. Due to the high volume of visitors, parking restrictions on the road are strictly enforced; there is no visitor parking in the town of Montezuma.
Dillon Reservoir
The birding on this large reservoir is best in late fall and early winter, when small numbers of ducks and gulls may be seen on the water, including mergansers, both species of goldeneye and occasionally Common Loon or even a scoter. Bald Eagles and Ospreys sometimes soar over the water.
Silverthorne
This is the first town on I-70 west of the Continental Divide, the gateway to Summit County’s famous ski areas. It’s also a great place to see Barrow’s Goldeneye in winter – a few can typically be found at the Blue River Wastewater Treatment Plant right along CO 9 north of the interstate. A good variety of other ducks are usually in the area also. In the summer, up to three active Osprey nests can be seen on artificial platforms near the highway in the first six miles north of the interstate. Sometimes flocks of rosy-finches, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, and Cassin’s Finches descend on feeders in residential areas of the town in wintertime.
Cucumber Gulch Nature Preserve
A fragile area of fen wetlands sandwiched between the town of Breckenridge and the ski area, Cucumber Gulch has been turned into a nature preserve to protect important habitat for wildlife including the endangered boreal toad, moose, beaver, and breeding birds including Wilson’s Snipe, Brown Creeper, Wilson’s Warbler, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. Although access to the gulch itself is restricted during the summer, the area is circled by hiking trails through lodgepole and spruce forest that allow many wildlife viewing opportunities. Hairy and American Three-toed Woodpeckers are possible, especially in areas with beetle-killed trees. Osprey may be seen in summer over the ponds. The gulch is bisected by the gondola, and one might see wildlife around the ponds while riding to the top of the ski area. In winter, cross-country skiing is allowed inside the gulch, and visitors must purchase a ski pass.
Boreas Pass Road
For those who want a scenic backcountry car trip on their visit to Breckenridge, this road can’t be beat, however a 4×4 vehicle is recommended. It winds up through lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forests to a series of beautiful mountain meadows near treeline. The road doesn’t quite get high enough to be a reliable site to find ptarmigan, but some hiking up nearby mountains from the pass could produce them. Moose, elk, mule deer, and yellow-bellied marmots may be seen along the road. Regular breeding birds include Red Crossbill, White-crowned and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Mountain Chickadee.
Blue Lakes Road
Just off of Highway 9 on the way up Hoosier Pass from Breckenridge is this little gravel side road which quickly leads to some of the most spectacular scenery in Summit County. In less than two miles from the highway, the forest shrinks from tall spruce-fir to stunted treeline krummholz, and near the end the road breaks treeline altogether. The small rodent-like animals called pikas, which are related to rabbits, are easy to see in boulder fields near the end of the road. White-crowned Sparrows breed abundantly here, and many other birds such as Wilson’s Warblers and American Pipits may be seen. History buffs will enjoy the views of several abandoned mines.
Shrine Pass
Shrine Pass is a slow, scenic, road-less-traveled alternative to I-70 over Vail Pass, considerably better for birding. As the unpaved road rises out of the village of Red Cliff, it follows a beautiful stream with lots of willow up a tight valley through aspens and mixed conifers. Along this stretch look for species such as Swainson’s Thrush, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and American Dipper. The road then runs through several miles of truly excellent spruce-fir forest before the pass; birds like Pine Grosbeak, Gray Jay, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and Golden-crowned Kinglet could be found. The views of Mount Holy Cross from the pass are among the best in the state.
Tigiwon Road
This narrow, winding mountain road covers a wide variety of habitats as it rises up to the main trailhead for Mount of the Holy Cross. Right at the start of the road, along the stream, you can find breeding Swainson’s Thrush and American Dipper. A little higher up are some nice aspen stands with a few mixed conifers; check for Red-naped Sapsucker, Violet-green Swallow, and (at night) Flammulated Owl. Then the road goes through lots of lodgepole pine (plus a few chokecherry and willow thickets good for the likes of MacGillivray’s Warbler) before transitioning into nice spruce-fir before the campground at the end of the road.
Alfred M. Bailey Bird Nesting Area
In 1971, this remote area was officially designated a special management area by the US Forest Service due to the large diversity of high-elevation birds that it supports. Many sought-after bird species have been found nesting here, including Northern Goshawk, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Fox Sparrow, and Williamson’s Sapsucker. Black Swift has been seen overhead. To reach the actual Bird Nesting Area requires a moderate hike of nearly two miles into the Eagles Nest Wilderness, but no hiking is required to enjoy the excellent wildlife viewing opportunities along the road to the trailhead, which passes through mixed-conifer forest, areas of beetle-killed lodgepole pine, mountain meadows, and streamside willows. Those who hike the entire 4.5-mile trail will reach the remains of the historic Boss silver mine.
Green Mountain Reservoir
This high-elevation reservoir does not usually have many birds on it, but Bald Eagles and Ospreys can be seen hunting here sometimes. Willow Flycatcher breeds in the willows southwest of the reservoir. This reservoir is the site of Colorado’s only sighting of Magnificent Frigatebird, so you never know what might show up! There is a day use fee in the area.
Kremmling
Known as the ‘Spportsman’s Paradise’ of Colorado, this town provides all the amenities necessary to anchor a stay in Grand County, but is sufficiently small, isolated, and scenic to instill a real sense of the wilderness frontier. Birding in the town can be excellent, especially in winter, when all three species of rosy-finch sometimes congregate at feeders. A few times, these feeders have attracted Common Redpoll in winter as well. If a drive around town does not produce any rosies, try scoping the distant cliffs to the north of Kremmling from the north end of any road in town – the rosies often roost here, where a very good scope is necessary to see them.
Summer is slower for birds in Kremmling, but wandering around the residential neighborhoods may net you a Cassin’s Finch or a Cedar Waxwing among the many Eurasian Collared-Doves. You may find a family of Cinnamon Teal at the tiny sewage ponds on the south side of town, or else at the oxbow pond just south of Spruce & Eagle in the southwest corner of town.
The best birding in the immediate vicinity of Kremmling is along County Road 33 just southeast of town, which overlooks some wetlands and seasonally flooded fields on its way east through Junction Butte SWA to Williams Fork Reservoir. Wilson’s Snipe often winnow over these fields, which can have waterfowl and ibis in migration. Mule deer, pronghorn, and occasionally elk may be seen along this route.
Radium State Wildlife Area
A remote but fascinating site, this is one of the closest places to Denver to see many of the pinyon-juniper specialty birds such as Black-throated Gray Warbler, Juniper Titmouse, and Pinyon Jay. Black-chinned Hummingbird, Bushtit, Rock Wren, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher may also be found here. The best pinyon-juniper habitat is along CR 111 southwest of the tiny unincorporated hamlet of Radium. Look for other dry-country creatures such as desert cottontail rabbits and short-horned lizards. Several areas allow access to the Colorado River and its riparian areas, including the Pumphouse Recreation Area, which charges an entrance fee. The hiking trail along the river here is beautiful.