Standley Lake Regional Park & Wildlife Refuge Guided Tour

This guided hike will take you through different areas within the park while introducing you to the history, the wildlife and the recreational opportunities offered.

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Standley Lake Regional Park & Wildlife Refuge Guided Tour

Westminster, Colorado 80021, United States

Created By: Standley Lake Regional Park & Wildlife Refuge

Tour Information

User Note: In the app, you can swipe left to see more photographs for each site. Under Settings, you can toggle to turn off the audio narration.

Wecome to Standley Lake Regional Park & Wildlife Refuge!

Standley Lake is Westminster 's hidden gem. The 3000 acre park offers a place of refuge for people and animals alike. This guided tour will introduce you to some of the amenities, sights and wildlife within the park.

In addition to hiking, bicycling, camping, wildlife viewing and other park-based recreational activities, the lake offers visitors numerous opportunities for fishing, paddling and interaction through nature based educational programs. For more information, visit the Standley Lake Nature Center or give us a call!

Phone: (303) 425-1097

Standley Lake Website

Standley Lake Facebook Page


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What You'll See on the Tour

You will begin your tour at the Standley Lake Nature Center. There, you can view numerous animal displays and visit with our live animal ambassadors, Ned the box turtle and Toro the bull snake! Before heading out on your hike, feel free t... Read more
The "Little Free Library" is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fosters neighborhood book exchanges around the world to inspire a love of reading, build community, and spark creativity. More than 75,000 public book exchanges are regist... Read more
In 2002, former Standley Lake Park Ranger Christopher Romer created and gifted the "Messenger" to celebrate the opening of the Standley Lake Nature Center. This piece was constructed by creating a mold, pouring the wax, “chasing” the ... Read more
In this Paleo Dig Site, children can look for fossils that have been hidden as well as keep the fossils!  Look closely at the seemingly unremarkable rock next to it. This is a large-foot projection from an Edmontosaurus, a type of hadro... Read more
Though Standley Lake is often recognized for its recreational opportunities, the park is also a wildlife refuge. Around the nature center, you can find many signs of nearby critters just out of sight; you only have to look closely.  Easter... Read more
There are over 900 native bees in Colorado! They are responsible for the health and balance of native flora throughout the varying ecosystems. Many of these bees prefer and require native flowers to retrieve pollen and nectar as a food sour... Read more
Hundreds of birds of different species make Standley Lake a temporary home throughout the seasons, and on any given day, there’s a high chance of seeing or hearing at least one bird of prey. Raptors, birds of prey, are carnivorous birds w... Read more
In the back, hidden between the long grasses, are some honey bee hives. This is the Westminster Bee Club apiary (where a collection of hives is kept). The boxes you see are home to bee colonies.Each has a queen and a hundred workers who c... Read more
Standley Lake Regional Park has been home to a pair of eagles since 1993. The eagle blind was constructed by an Eagle Scout in 2011,  roughly ½ mile from that year's nest. On May 13, 2021, we all were devastated by the collapse of the n... Read more
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*Coyote prints can be found in this area in the morning after heavy rain or snow* The protected eagle area provides an oasis for many animals, allowing them to exist with minimal human interactions. While well adapted to urban areas, coyote... Read more
Beneath your feet are clues to wildlife roaming the park. After a particularly snowy or rainy day, hit the trails to investigate who was active recently. Bobcats, deer, and other smaller mammals have been seen in the park.  This area of ... Read more
You’re looking at the largest rookery in Westminster! A rookery is a colony of nesting birds, and during the late spring/early summer, their are over 100 nests filled with fishing birds raising their young. The three cottonwood trees o... Read more
Standley Lake has 1,063 acres of water, which can reach up to 96 feet in depth towards the dam. It is the third largest reservoir in the Denver Metro area and contains several different species of fish: rainbow trout, bluegill, large a... Read more
What better way to experience the great outdoors than camping at your local park! There are 72 camping sites with fire pits and picnic tables for you to rent to have a unique and pared-down night under the stars. The park’s campground ac... Read more
Paddling on Standley Lake offers a closer look at the park's wildlife. Their is a paddle-only area on the lake that sits inside part of the wildlife refuge that does not allow access by foot. Taking a paddle craft into this area allows you... Read more
Do you want to connect to nature, possibly catch dinner, hang out with family, and see wildlife large and small? Check out our urban ADA-accessible fishing pier on the north side of the park in our Lower Cottontail Campground to experience ... Read more
In addition to being a multi-use recreation area, Standley Lake is a water storage facility and the drinking water supply for Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton. With 1,063 acres of surface area, Standley Lake is Westminster's largest bo... Read more
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By early 1910, the Denver Reservoir and Irrigation Company had expanded to hold more than 200,000 acres of agricultural land across several irrigation districts north of Denver with options placed on thousands more. It also held a developi... Read more
Prairie dogs are considered a “keystone” species because their colonies create islands of habitat that benefit approximately 150 other species. A keystone species is an organism that plays a unique and crucial role in an ecosystem. They... Read more
Looking to your left, you will see a small building where park rangers decontaminate (spray) all paddle craft that is used on Standley Lake. Because Standley Lake is the drinking water supply for approximately 300,000 people, protecting the... Read more
Our deluxe bell tents are for those who love being in nature but are looking for an effortless and elevated experience. Your site is already set up for you when you arrive. Sitting on a raised wood platform is a unique 16' canvas bell ten... Read more

 

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