A Friday Evening at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge is a former weapons manufacturing facility used during World War II. After the Army was done with the land, they leased it to Shell Chemical Co. to produce agricultural chemicals. By the 1980’s the, Shell and the U.S. Army were performing an environmental cleanup program when a roost of bald eagles were discovered on the 15,000 acre parcel of land. This prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get involved, and the land was designated as the wildlife refuge we have today.

The Arsenal sits north east of Denver, between the airport and downtown. It is home to over 330 different species of animals, including bison, white tail deer, coyotes, eagles, and hawks. It is apparent the animals here are comfortable with humans and vehicles as white tail deer don’t bother to look up when you stop to see what they are up to. The same can be said of the bison on the wildlife drive. Although the bison are contained within a large fenced enclosure, and you are told to stay in your vehicle, they tend to be un-phased by human presence. Despite being a captive heard, I’m glad this refuge was designated as a place for them to live, and the public has the opportunity to observe them in a natural habitat.

The beauty of the Arsenal is the proximity to the City of Denver. For instance, all of the photos posted here were taken on Friday afternoon after work. You turn out of a neighborhood, make your way past the Rapid’s soccer stadium and cross into the wild great plains, full of tall grass and peppered with cottonwood trees. It feels as if you were teleported to a different place. As you drive deeper into the refuge, there are a few small lakes with catch and release fishing, hiking trails and usually houses thousands of birds. The patches of cottonwood trees harbor grazing deer and other predatory raptors. As you make your way around the park there are sweeping views of the great plains with Longs Peak and the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park in the distance. The proximity to town is what makes it special, where you can be home for dinner after an after work adventure. Below is a gallery of the scenery and wildlife that inhabit the refuge.

Lake Ladora is one of the first areas you drive past as you enter the refuge. This time of year, it is a serene frozen lake. But if you visit during the spring and summer it is bustling with migratory birds.

A common sight around the entire refuge is groups of white tail grazing on the tall grass. They can be tough to spot among the golden grass of the winter.

As you enter the wild life drive, there are incredible views of the prairie with a back drop of the mountains. Here, a bison beds down in the prairie grass, with Longs Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park towering in the distance.

There have been occasions when we drive out to the refuge and the bison are visible, but they are far off near a line of cottonwoods, tough to see in detail. As luck would have it, they were grazing close to the road on this trip and it made for some up close and personal shots.

As I sat and watched the bison graze peacefully, I noticed one of them turn its attention to one of the others. He picked up his head, and gave the other bison a head butt to the side. In a playful matter, both of them lined up and began to spar. Watching these two beasts lock horns, and dance in circles made the rush hour drive home completely worth it.

I glanced at the horizon and the sun was getting closer to the horizon. So I decided to get on with it and see the rest of the wildlife drive. As I came around the next corner, I saw a hawk sitting perched in a tree facing the sun. I stopped to get a better look, and captured it looking right at me. It was soaking in the last sun of the day, so I moved on to let it enjoy that in peace.

This is a portion of the drive that is my favorite. With Longs Peak in the distance, and the sweeping plain and bare cotton wood trees it encapsulates what Colorado is to me. I enjoy these environments, as it lets me think for a moment what people standing in that spot 150 years ago experienced.

The road continues to wrap around the refuge, giving more views of the western landscape.

With the sun setting fast, I noticed something sitting in the field and stopped to inspect with my telephoto lens. It was a lone coyote bathing in the sun. It stood up showing some interest in me, and quickly decided to wonder off into the sunset.

As the drive around the refuge returns to the lakes that you drive past in the beginning of the drive, there are some old dilapidated buildings. This old farm house and it’s wind mill takes my mind to a different era of Colorado.

As the sunset, I couldn’t help but admire the old gnarled cotton wood trees. These trees are a symbol of the plains, as well as the desert. Where there are cotton woods, there is water, and water is where there is an abundance of life in the West.

As I left the Arsenal Wildlife Refuge at dusk, the gate to the refuge had closed for the night. Thankfully, it opens automatically on the way out. But on my drive home I started to think about the next time I come back. I usually only make it to the refuge once a year. I hope to get there during different seasons to capture the breadth of wildlife that inhabits the area. So stay tuned for more galleries later in the year.