If you enjoy seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, Colorado is heaven on earth. Take any hiking trail, visit any city park, or stop by any beautiful lake, and you're likely to see a range of animals from elk to chipmunks to birds of prey. Every year, one little town is home to the most incredible migration you've ever seen, and you're going to want to check it out in person.
The Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge covers 14,800 acres near the little town of Monte Vista in the southern part of Colorado.
...and you'll be able to witness the behavior and habits of these beautiful birds as they feed and rest up before their long journey toward warmer weather.
Sandhill cranes have been on the planet for a long time - the oldest confirmed fossil is over 2.5 million years old! These birds are both ungainly and majestic. If you've never seen a sandhill crane up close, you'll see what we mean when you visit.
The refuge is open every day from sunrise to sunset. When you visit, make sure to wear sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather. Bring your binoculars to watch the cranes up close, and your camera to capture this spectacle.
Have you seen the migration of the sandhill cranes at Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge? We'd love to see your photos!
If you love Colorado's wild place and wild animals, you might want to join our Colorado Nature Lover's Group, where you'll see tons of gorgeous photos, and can even share some of your own!
Located under an hour from Colorado Springs, The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is a nonprofit sanctuary focused on public education and conservation programs. Tucked in the shadow of rugged mountainsides, it's the full-time home of various animals, including coyotes, foxes, and even wolves!
Though the CWWC is certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums today, it began in 1993 when founder Darlene Kobobel adopted a wolf dog named Chinook. Chinook had been scheduled for euthanasia, a fate that Kobobel discovered was all too common for wolf dogs. Her close relationship with this special pet inspired her to create a rescue for others like him.
Before long, calls were inundating Kobobel's nonprofit, motivating her to focus on educational outreach. In the coming years, her goals developed, eventually forming the mission of today's Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.
I recommend making reservations to ensure you get the best experience at CWWC. Naturally, the top-ticket item is an interactive encounter with the organization's ambassador wolves, but the standard tours are also incredibly worthwhile and informative.
And don't forget the center's other residents! Foxes like Zak, who's pictured below, have earned cult followings online for their adorable antics.
While we may feel deeply for nature in the abstract, there's something incredibly moving about interacting with these charismatic creatures up close. Experiencing their personalities and behaviors firsthand gives new context to the importance of conservation.
Not to mention, whether you're visiting with family or with a group, you're bound to live with a smile on your face.
If you're interested in a wildlife encounter in Colorado, you don't need to wait up by your trash bin at night or hope to bump into a bear on a hiking trail. Visit Divide's Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, a fantastic organization and a vanguard of our state's conservation movement. From humble beginnings, the CWWC developed into a nonprofit that's changed the lives of countless animals, touching many people's hearts in the process.
Of course, the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is just one of many amazing businesses in Colorado that’s doing great things in the state. If you have another business you’d like to see profiled on Only In Colorado, please nominate them for a chance to be featured. And be sure to follow Only In Colorado on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the know on the state’s events, restaurants, local businesses, and hidden gems.
A Colorado pumpkin patch is a place everybody loves to visit to pick out the perfect pumpkin. This activity is fun for the whole family and it's an annual tradition for so many people. I know I love these beautiful...sometimes round, sometimes oblong...orange orbs for some reason I can't really explain, and I bet you feel the same way too. If you're looking for the best pumpkin in Colorado (or many pumpkins...), we're here to help. This list will give you some great ideas about where to find the best pumpkin patch near me. Read on and get out there; it's never too early to adorn every inch of your property with pumpkins galore! Go! Now!
Anderson Farms is one of the longest-running pumpkin patches in the state, and it's also the largest. Also, choose from 26 varieties of squash, pumpkins, and gourds here, and enjoy a hayride and 25-acre cornfield maze while you're at it. Not only is this one of the best pumpkin patches in Colorado, but it's one of the best pumpkin patches near Boulder.
Enjoy this glorious pumpkin festival on one single weekend each fall! Come and get your pumpkin and celebrate everything autumn at this traditional family outing. This is one of the best Colorado pumpkin patches near me which includes a 10-acre pumpkin patch, a corn maze, and other activities. Read all about it on the Denver Botanic Garden's Chatfield Farms website.
This impressive property has a 100-acre pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, corn mazes, plus tasty desserts like caramel apples. This is one of the best pumpkin patches near Denver. Read all about it on the Rock Creek Farm website.
4. Maize in the City: Thornton (Check for 2024 dates when available)
Located in Thornton, this celebration has pumpkins, corn launchers, five-minute escape rooms, pony rides, sand art, a hay bale maze, face painting, and bouncy bounces. Your whole family will have a blast. Discover more on the Maize in the City website.
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5. Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch: Longmont (Saturdays and Sundays in October)
Enjoy the farm store, carnival rides, bouncy rides, corn maze, pumpkin painting, and great views of Longs Peak and Mount Meeker. For further details, visit the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch website.
Fritzler Farm Park in LaSalle has pumpkins galore, a corn maze, pedal go-carts, a barrel train, carnival rides, a corn pit, yard games, face painting, and more, plus an outdoor haunted house on weekend nights.
Pick your own pumpkin; go through the corn maze; pet the fuzzy farm animals, and participate in several other family-fun attractions. Learn more on The Patch website.
8. Miller Farms: Platteville (Labor Day-mid November, 2024)
Miller Farms has been family-owned and operated for generations and today, we can enjoy fall in Colorado on its 180 acres of fields. Enjoy a hayride while learning about farm life and selecting fresh vegetables to take home.
With plenty of pumpkins from which to choose as well as farm animals, hayrides, a straw bale maze, and a corn maze, what could be a more enjoyable way to spend an autumn day than at one of the best pumpkin patches in Colorado? Cottonwood Farms offers more information on its website.
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10. Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze: Cañon City (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays Sept. 21 - Oct. 31, 2024)
This family-owned and operated business has an eight-acre corn maze and a fantastic pumpkin patch with a wide variety of different kinds of pumpkins from which to choose. Read more on Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze website.
A Colorado pumpkin patch is the best way to celebrate fall. Visit one of the best pumpkin patches in Colorado, or visit them all. Buy a pumpkin at every single one. Put them in every room of your house! Pumpkins everywhere! Happy fall, everyone!
Going on a pumpkin-focused road trip? Don't leave these items behind from our Ultimate Road Trip Packing List. And while you're traveling around, consider renting a Vrbo to take in the fall colors in Colorado.
