Staunton State Park is a

Colorado state park The system of state parks in Colorado integrates outdoor recreation with tourism. There are currently forty-two parks open to the public, and there is one in development. Colorado State Parks host over eleven million visitors each year. Colorado ...

in Park and Jefferson counties, located west of Conifer,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. The park, which opened on May 18, 2013, includes dramatic rock outcroppings, several streams and a waterfall. On December 4, 2012, the property was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Staunton Ranch-Rural Historic Landscape. The park was created out of a gift by Frances H. Staunton, who donated the original 1,720 acres to the State of Colorado. Ms. Staunton required the land "be preserved in perpetuity, for public benefit, as a natural wilderness-type park... typifying Colorado's most beautiful mountain forest and meadow region". Since 1986, the State of Colorado acquired additional lands through the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) lottery proceeds. These include the Elk Falls Ranch, portions of the Davis Ranch, and property once owned by playwright

Mary Coyle Chase Mary Chase ( Mary Agnes McDonough Coyle; February 25, 1906 – October 20, 1981) was an American journalist, playwright and children's novelist, known primarily for writing the 1944 Broadway play '' Harvey'', which was adapted into the 1950 fi ...

. In 2015 former Colorado Legislator Allen Dines donated his ranch to the park, bringing its total acreage to . The Staunton Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places for exemplifying a pattern of homesteading, ranching, and use as a summer resort. It is also considered notable for its

rustic architecture Rustic architecture is a style of architecture in the United States, used in rural government and private structures and their landscape interior design. It was influenced by the American craftsman style. According to the National Park Service, � ...

and for containing the area's only

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. The park's recreational offerings include rock climbing, multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, stream and pond fishing, and picnicking.

References

External links

Staunton State Park
Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Friends of Staunton State Park
{{authority control 2013 establishments in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Park County, Colorado Protected areas of Jefferson County, Colorado Protected areas of Park County, Colorado Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado State parks of Colorado