Wildlife Viewing in Colorado
Few places in North America offer the bounty of wildlife-watching opportunities available in Colorado. Who in your group will win the eagle-eye award by spotting some of the Centennial State’s most majestic residents like Colorado’s state animal — the bighorn sheep — plus bald eagles, mountain goats, moose, elk and pronghorn?
Few places in North America offer the bounty of wildlife-watching opportunities available in Colorado. Who in your group will win the eagle-eye award by spotting some of the Centennial State’s most majestic residents like Colorado’s state animal — the bighorn sheep — plus bald eagles, mountain goats, moose, elk and pronghorn?
Where to See Wildlife in Colorado
One of the best things about wildlife viewing in Colorado is how easy it is. With eight national wildlife refuges, hundreds of state wildlife areas, 13 national parks and national monuments, 43 Colorado state parks and millions of acres of national forest and other public lands, you’re never more than a short drive from the natural habitat of more than 900 species of Colorado wildlife. Here are some of the many places you can spot our coolest creatures:
- Rocky Mountain National Park (elk, marmot, moose, pika, bighorn sheep)
- Alamosa and Monte Vista national wildlife refuges (deer, avocets, coyotes, beavers)
- State Forest State Park (moose, elk, bear, calliope hummingbirds)
- Mount Blue Sky (mountain goats, marmot, pika)
- Pawnee National Grassland (pronghorn, prairie dogs, burrowing owls, lark bunting)
Find more ideas for wildlife-viewing experiences in Colorado
Birds of Colorado
The Colorado Birding Trail is another way to see Colorado’s wild creatures. The network of Colorado trails leads to more than 400 species of birds, guiding novice birdwatchers and die-hard ornithologists alike to habitats of white-throated swifts, pinyon jays, snow geese, plovers and prairie chickens. Find more ways to spot birds:
Colorado Animal Sanctuaries
Pick a Colorado wildlife sanctuary or wildlife refuge for viewing opportunities: The Wild Animal Sanctuary, for instance, houses large carnivores indigenous to Colorado like bears and wolves along with rescued lions and tigers. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is home to deer, coyotes, raptors like bald eagles and bison. More ideas:
