Caribou Ranch Open Space Park is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located near

Nederland, Colorado Nederland (, ) is a statutory town located near Barker Meadow Reservoir in the foothills of southwest Boulder County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census it had a population of 1,445. History Nederland was established in ...

. It has over 3.14 miles of trail for recreational visitors. It is open to hikers, horseback riders, and trail runners. Mountain bikes and dogs are not allowed in the park area. This park is connected to Mud Lake Open Space Park by the Caribou Ranch Link. Caribou Ranch is closed April 1 through June 30 to protect spring migratory birds and elk calving and rearing.

History

The park is currently managed by

Boulder County Boulder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 330,758. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is Boulder. Boulder County comprises th ...

Parks and Open Space. Like many areas in Colorado, it was first occupied by nomadic Native American Tribes. In the late 1800s, the mining industry moved in and established the area. The Blue Bird Mine Complex was a silver mine from that era and can still be seen in the park today. During the summer, recreational visitors would visit the area via the railroad. In the 1930s, the area was used to breed Arabian horses by Lynn W. Van Vleet. Then in 1971, the land was purchased and one of the barns was converted into the Caribou Ranch recording studio.

Wildlife

Caribou Ranch Open Space hosts many species of wildlife including elk, migratory birds, black bear, mountain lion, coyote, mule deer, bobcat, bat, moose, beaver, and short tailed weasel.

References

External links

Boulder County Open Space - Caribou Ranch
{{coord, 40, 0, 9, N, 105, 32, 40, W, type:forest_region:US, display=title Parks in Colorado Protected areas of Boulder County, Colorado