You probably don’t have to think very hard to imagine a scene out of your daily life. Sitting in traffic, surrounded on all sides by cars jockeying for a position in the only lane of traffic that seems to be moving. The dully brown of a winter that never seems to come and a sky that looks like a yellowed newspaper. You go to your job, sit in a cubicle, try to stay awake in meetings. You go home and pass your kids who are all sitting on their electronics: video games, texting, doomscrolling short little videos of people actually doing things.

Every day feels like a chore and you probably never expected your life to turn out like this. No amount of pizza in the break room or rancid coffee in the breakroom is worth that feeling you’ve got in the pit of your stomach. What happened to the life you used to dream about? The places you would go? The adventures you wanted to have? They all seem so far off, almost as though that kind of life wasn’t built for you.

But what if you discovered a place not too far away that was the opposite of all that? A place high in the Colorado mountains, where you could open your door and smell the sweet breeze, see snowy mountains, and find the excuse you’ve been looking for to turn off your phone for a whole weekend. Check out from that ordinary life and visit a place not many people even know exists anymore. A place where you can find some joy and wonder again, no matter the season. We call it North Park.

What is North Park?

At the northern end of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, a wide intermountain valley opens up between the Never Summer Mountains, Medicine Bow Mountains, and Park Range. On maps you’ll see the name Jackson County, but to the locals who call this place home, it has always been North Park. 

Just about 150 years ago, this area was visited by several Native American tribes in the summer as a plentiful hunting ground, rife with bison, elk, deer, and other game. The occasional French trapper or mountain man came through the area in search of pelts, but the harsh winters here and short growing season didn’t exactly lend themselves to prime farming land. 

Gold and silver never really took off here the way mining did in other places, and settlement by Europeans was by hardy Scandinavian and German settlers who ranched the area. Mining came later during the world wars where coal and other minerals were used in industry. 

Lumber for the railroads and growing towns throughout the West was hacked out of the plentiful alpine forests. In spite of all these resources, the area remained fairly sparse. When neighboring towns doubled down on ski resorts and tourism, the communities of North Park still got by pretty much the way they always did. A handful of tough families sticking it through during the grueling winter months, quietly enjoying the unspoilt beauty of a Colorado most people only imagined after reading westerns and seeing old postcards.

Jackson County comes in at around 1600 square miles. At its center is the town of Walden with around 700 people living in town. The rest of the county comes in at fewer than 1500 people with a population density of less than one person per square mile. That makes for a lot of room to roam. From alpine vistas and dense pine forests to Jurassic sand dunes, river bottoms, and some of the best preserved high mountain desert in the state, the landscape is never dull and still abundant with wildlife.

An Outdoor Playground

A significant chunk of that 1600 square miles of land is designated as public. Though much of it has been leased by working ranches and foresters in the area, a lot of it is still available for recreation. 

Here are some of the best places to find public land in Jackson County:

• Colorado State Forest State Park
• Routt National Forest
• Medicine Bow National Forest
• Colorado State Trust Land
• Zirkle Wilderness Area
• Rawah Wilderness Area
• Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
• Bureau of Land Management areas

Fishing, Hunting, and More!

North Park is a haven for anglers, boasting some of the best opportunities for flatwater fishing, flyfishing, and even ice fishing in Colorado. Ask just about any angler if they have heard of North Park and they are sure to mention Lake John, which has been known to produce some monster-sized trout year round. Up in the mountains you’ll find lakes such as Lake Katherine, an extinct volcanic neck, Big Creek Lakes (among the largest natural lakes in Colorado), and an area teeming with creeks, rivers, and reservoirs.

Jackson County is also renowned for hunting, with one of the largest elk herds in Colorado, clocking in at around 2000 head. Hunting season starts in late summer with bow and blackpowder and runs until December for big game, waterfowl, and other permits including bear and moose. The moose is probably the most recognizable animal of North Park. In the 1980s, several were reintroduced to the area and since then most of the moose in Colorado probably could trace their lineage back to these mating pairs. 

Photography and Wildlife

Aside from hunting and fishing, North Park is also a photographer’s dream. Not only is there plenty of wildlife to capture but also amazing scenery, wildflowers, and last century charm from towns to homesteads. Every April the North Park Area Chamber of Commerce hosts a Greater Sage Grouse viewing trip that allows photographers and birders from around the world exclusive access to established breeding grounds—or leks—where they can see the males dance and compete for the attention of females.

When it comes to great access for photography, you can’t beat the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. Located just north of Walden along the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway, this area of river bottoms and wetlands has been preserved as a home for big game animals such as pronghorn, deer, and elk, but also nesting grounds for migratory waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. We have our share of predators too, from eagles and hawks to mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, and even river otters!

Up in the higher altitudes is where you’ll see browsing moose and even big horn sheep and even mountain goats. The best places to find moose are in the Gould, Rand, and Muddy Pass areas (near Rabbit Ears peak). Every year at the Moose Visitor Center a board of moose sightings is kept to give people a good idea of where to find these massive animals.

For nighttime skies you won’t forget, keep in mind that the Colorado State Forest State Park is working on becoming DarkSky Certified in the next few years. This means that the campgrounds at the CSFSP have to meet certain criteria which allow for maximum night sky viewing with minimal light pollution. If you’ve ever seen a night sky in North Park, you’ll understand what makes that goal so sought after.

Motorsports and Big Hikes

All throughout Jackson County, you’ll find dirt roads, jeep trails, ATV access, snowmobile trails, and even sand dunes to play with the big kid toys.In the winter, we have been a destination for serious snowmobilers and even dog sledders, with annual races held throughout the winter months. If OHVs aren’t your thing and you trust your feet more, there are hundreds of miles of hiking trails in the mountains of North Park, great for summertime hikes or wintertime nordic skiing and snowshoeing. 

The Continental Divide Trail follows the southern edge of Jackson County from close to our border with Rocky Mountain National Park all the way to Rabbit Ears pass. A newly created Northern Colorado Trail makes Walden its dead center between Glenwood Springs and Estes Park. If you are doing a big hike, Walden is a great place to stop over for a few days, resupply and unwind with a burger or a cold beer.

Welcome to the Land of Adventure

If any of these things has sounded tantalizing to you, you’re probably long overdue for your fix of the outdoors. Make North Park your annual destination for four seasons of outdoor activities or just enjoy a lazy day on the road for your next road trip. You’ll find us RV, car, and motorcycle friendly (depending on what the weather is like). 

Please check out our other posts about things to do in Walden and North Park and start planning your getaway today! Follow our social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our Substack newsletter for the latest in activities, giveaways, and a seasonal planner of what to do for your next visit.

It’s never too soon to plan your next escape from the ordinary. North Park is here to satiate that craving for adventure you have been looking for!