Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Loop

Few places have changed as much as this patch of prairie northeast of Denver. Farm families worked it until 1942, when the Army took the land to make chemical weapons. Later a pesticide plant moved in, and decades of waste left the site badly polluted. After a cleanup that took more than 20 years, it became one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the country.

This tour has 9 stops. Start at the Visitor Center, walk to Lake Mary, then drive the 11-mile Wildlife Drive, a paved loop with a one-way section through the bison pasture, and finish at the old Army headquarters a short drive from where you began. Allow about two and a half hours.

Entry is free. The refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset, with later summer hours, and closes on a few holidays; the Visitor Center keeps shorter hours. Stay on roads and trails, keep out of areas posted closed, and stay in your car where the road becomes one way.

9 stops on this tour:

Visitor Center - Where the Story Starts

Lake Mary - A Fishing Hole for the Base

Lake Ladora - Before the Army Came

Lower Derby Lake - Where the Eagles Came Back

Bison Pasture - The Herd Comes Home

First Creek Prairie - The Ferret Comeback

Prairie Dog Town - Owls in the Burrows

Rattlesnake Hill - Looking Over the Old Arsenal

Army Historic Trail - The Arsenal's Old Headquarters

Plan your visit

Route: 9 stops · about 9.3 miles of driving · self-drive
Time: about 2.5 hours with stops
Start: Visitor Center (directions)
Cost: free tour
Audio: narrated - tap ▶ Listen at the top of any stop

Stops on this tour

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