Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit near Denver. The area has wide open landscapes, scenic driving routes, and many opportunities to see wildlife such as bison, deer, and different kinds of birds. The visitor center is informative and well organized, and the trails are great for walking and enjoying nature. It is amazing that such a large natural refuge exists so close to the city. A great place for photography, wildlife watching, and a relaxing outdoor experience.

Absolutely Adorable Prairie Dog Sightings! I visited the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge last November. Unfortunately, it coincided with a government shutdown, so many areas and the main buffalo auto tour route were closed. However, the trip was still completely worth it because of the prairie dogs! They are incredibly cute, and you can get surprisingly close to them. I ended up spending over an hour just watching them pop in and out of their burrows and interact with each other—it was so entertaining that I never got bored. Even though I missed out on seeing the bison this time, the prairie dogs were the absolute stars of the show for me. The refuge is a great place to connect with nature, even when things aren't fully operational. If you're a fan of wildlife photography or just love watching cute animals in their natural habitat, this is a fantastic spot. I’m looking forward to coming back when everything is open to finally see the buffalo, but for now, the prairie dogs made my day!

Start with the Visitor Center — it’s absolutely worth it. The staff let us know what wildlife we were likely to see that day and where bison sightings were most common. The ranger also did a great job explaining the history of the area in a way that was easy to understand and genuinely interesting. The 11-mile wildlife drive takes less than an hour, but it feels like a complete escape from the city. We saw huge bison up close, countless prairie dogs popping up everywhere (the chubby ones were especially cute), and even white-tailed deer. What really stood out to me was how close this place is to downtown Denver — and the fact that it’s completely free. Being able to see so much wildlife right next to the city felt surprising and honestly pretty amazing. Visiting Rocky Mountain Arsenal gave me a whole new appreciation for Denver and made me fall in love with the city even more.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal is an incredible place to explore and the best part is, it’s completely free. You can walk around the trails, enjoy the peaceful scenery, and even see free ranging buffalo up close (from a safe distance, of course!). It’s such a unique experience to have this kind of wildlife and open space so close to the city. Highly recommend visiting if you’re in the Denver area. Perfect for a walk, photography, or just enjoying nature.

Unsung Denver treasure. Start with less than 8 miles from downtown Denver. Free! ALWAYS see animals. Sometimes close up. Sometimes in the distance. Lots of gorgeous scenery that changes with every season. Great drive and always able to get at least 1-2 great pictures, all with my phone. Enjoy!!!