Tag: Outdoors
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Happy Trails: Honoring the colorful beauty of Palmer Park in Colorado Springs
In a quiet nook of Palmer Park, a sign recalls Edna Mae Bennett’s “inviting love for the out-of-doors.” Yes, just as she loved this park of colorful bluffs near the heart of Colorado Springs, she loved sharing it, inviting others to it. Hence the school program she hosted here, according to the sign posted by…
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Animal Madness: Colorado wildlife face off in bracket challenge
As college basketball players compete for one shining moment, we’ve imagined a bracket of Colorado’s animals that provide us countless shining moments year-round. Here’s the play-by-play: PEAKS AND PLAINS REGION First round (1) Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep def (16) miller moth: A most majestic creature moves past the much maligned pest. (8) Red fox def.…
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Monarch Mountain to close ski resort early amid historic low snowpack
A historically low snowpack has caused Monarch Mountain and other Colorado ski areas to close their slopes ahead of schedule. This week will be skiers’ last chance to recreate on Monarch Mountain this season, with a closing day set for Sunday, according to the mountain’s Facebook page. The ski area had hoped to stay open…
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What does drought mean for Colorado’s bears as they emerge from hibernation?
In the days and weeks ahead, more Colorado bears will be waking from their winter slumbers and emerging from their dens. And they might very well realize what we’ve come to know all too well: It wasn’t much of a winter at all. What might the season’s record warmth and dryness around the state mean…
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Draft plan reimagines recreation around popular Pikes Peak reservoirs
Colorado Springs Utilities has published a draft plan reimagining recreation around scenic reservoirs on Pikes Peak ー what some see as setting the stage for a greater destination, while others worry about losing beloved trail connections. David Deitemeyer, the city’s Trails, Open Space and Parks senior administrator, is among locals who have long seen North…
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Cheyenne Mountain’s Dixon Trail: Not to be overlooked, nor underestimated
The sun rose and cast the hulking, granite face of Cheyenne Mountain in a golden light ー golden, like a prize to be earned. Here at the trailhead, I was familiar with the task at hand. I was familiar with Dixon Trail’s demands. This is the trail climbing up Colorado Springs’ second-most storied mountain, the…
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Major fire mitigation, trail work coming to popular ‘Backyard’ area of Colorado
Major changes are coming to a major hub of outdoor recreation in Colorado. The U.S. Forest Service recently announced finalizing a plan for fire mitigation and trails around 3,026 acres surrounding Frisco — an area people around town and Summit County have known as the Backyard. The scenic swath of White River National Forest encompasses…
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No reservations needed yet at scenic lakes in Colorado, permits coming soon
While reservations are still anticipated at one of Colorado’s most scenic destinations, they won’t be instituted this summer. In a recent update, the U.S. Forest Service listed “advancing development of a limited-entry permit system” among this year’s priorities regarding the Blue Lakes Visitor Use Management Plan. The update targeted next year for rolling out permits,…
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The ancient, amazing lives of sandhill cranes, Colorado’s beloved visitors back for seasonal stop
In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Jenny Nehring longs for this time of year, when her eyes look to the big sky and the big birds flying en masse against the Sangre de Cristo peaks, snow-capped and glowing from the rising and setting sun. “That never gets old,” Nehring says. Around her home in Monte Vista,…
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It’s time to apply for big game hunting licenses in Colorado
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s new big game brochure has been hitting hunters’ mailboxes ー the annual reminder to start planning for the seasons ahead. CPW also reminded in a recent social media post: “Whether you’re after a long-awaited lifetime tag or just getting started with big game hunting, the primary draw is the first stop…