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Cherry Creek State Park

Colorado  >  United States

Park with a large reservoir, creek and ponds. There are also trails that go through woods and open space areas. More than 300 bird species have been recorded.

Added* by Ken Wat
Most recent update 7 március 2024

Description

Cherry Creek State Park is 4,000-acre park in the Denver area. The centerpiece of the state park is an 880-acre reservoir, but the area also has excellent riparian woodland, marsh, and grassland. The southern parts of the lake are better for shorebird species, while areas closer to the dam tend to have more diving ducks. You can also scan the water for loons, grebes, cormorants, gulls and terns. The forest along Cherry Creek is home to breeding species such as Yellow-breasted Chat and Yellow Warbler. In the whole area many raptors can be spotted. Also many rarities have appeared over the years.

Because of the many different habitats in Cherry Creek State Park it is possible to observe a wide variety of birds. For example Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, American White Pelican, Western Grebe, Black-billed Magpie and Ring-billed Gull. The last few years this park has had a couple of Neotropic Cormorants that spent most of the summer here. Some of the other rarities that have showed up at this park have been Short-Billed Gulls and Black-Legged Kittiwakes.

Details

Access

Cherry Creek State Park is located in Arapahoe County, close to Denver. The park is open year round 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM. There are various entrances for cars to enter as well as walkers and bicyclists. Parking is available in the park. Click on a P in the map for directions or coordinates. You must pay a fee to enter the park by car or purchase a State Park pass. A daily pass is $ 10 per vehicle (see the link below for more info). Cherry Creek State Park has 12 miles (19 km) of paved roads and 35 miles (56 km) of multi-use trails. A circular walk around the lake is about 7 miles (11 km).

Terrain and Habitat

Forest , Wetland , Scattered trees and bushes , Lake , Grassland

Conditions

Flat , Dry , Open landscape , High water possible

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

Autumn , Winter , Spring

Best time to visit

Winter , Spring migration , Spring , Autumn , Autumn migration

Route

Paved road , Narrow trail , Wide path

Difficulty walking trail

Easy

Accessible by

Foot , Bicycle , Car , Boat

Birdwatching hide / platform

Yes

Extra info

The reservoir typically ices between December through the end of March.

Links

View other birding spots in the area that are published on Birdingplaces

Map

Top 5 birds

Other birds you can see here

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