C O L O R A D O
P A R K S
&
W I L D L I F E
Eldorado Canyon State Park
FACT SHEET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
Who we are
Eldorado Canyon State Park is located west of the historic resort town of Eldorado Springs. A world-renowned
technical rock climbing area, the canyon also offers fishing, hiking, picnicking and a quiet retreat from the city. Trails in the park connect
to trails on Boulder County Open Space and City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks lands. The park also features an awardwinning “Junior Ranger” program during the summer months and outstanding opportunities for photography during all seasons.
Top attractions
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Legendary rock-climbing destination
Miles of hiking trails with spectacular views
Picnicking along the scenic South Boulder Creek
Our partners
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Action Committee for Eldorado (ACE)
& Fixed Hardware Review Committee
Eldorado Artesian Springs Water and Pool
The Access Fund
Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC)
City of Boulder Mountain Parks and Open Space
Boulder County Parks and Open Space
Eldorado Springs and Kneale Subdivision Homeowners Association
Rocky Mountain Fire Authority
Challenges we face
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Award-winning junior ranger program
Trout fishing and mountain biking
Universally accessible education/naturalist programs
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MountainProject.com
Mile High Youth Corps
Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Inc.
Denver Water Board
Colorado State Forest Service
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and Community
Corrections
Colorado Department of Health and
Environment
Wildland Restoration Volunteers
Teens, Inc.
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The park is continually seeing record high visitation.
Eldorado Canyon reaches capacity on weekends and
holidays year-round, especially between March and
November. Such intensive use of the “Inner Canyon”
affects the natural resources and visitor experiences.
Insufficient staffing levels, due to budget cuts, are
leading to undue strains on personnel tasked with
managing the high volume of visitation.
Wildfire mitigation work in the Inner Canyon and
Crescent Meadow areas continues with help from
Colorado State Forest Service and other agencies.
Volunteer activities
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Eldorado offers a volunteer program, including raptor monitoring, trail crew work, naturalist assistance,
maintenance assistance and visitor services.
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The Action Committee for Eldorado provides voluntary, fixed climbing hardware maintenance and
does extensive fundraising for climbing access trail
maintenance.
1Source: Corona Research, Colorado State Parks Marketing Assessment, “Visitor Spending Analysis 2008-2009” (adjusted for inflation).
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us
KEN PAPALEO//HIGH COUNTRY COLORING/CPW
Visitors to Eldorado Canyon State Park spend about $6.9 million annually in local communities.1
9 Kneale Road, PO Box B, Eldorado Springs, CO, 80025
(303) 494-3943 • Email: eldorado.park@state.co.us
Park Manager: John Carson
As of June 30, 2017
Manager’s Message
Eldorado Canyon State Park offers many different activities, including over 1,000 rock climbing routes, miles of trails
for hiking, sightseeing, interpretive programs, picnicking, fishing and hunting (in the Crescent Meadows section of
the park). The geology of the inner canyon of the park creates spectacular views and climbing opportunities that
draws people from around the world. While the inner canyon is less than 10 miles from Boulder and about 30 miles
from Denver, it creates a unique feeling of seclusion and ruggedness common to the Colorado Rockies. It is
recommended that weekend and holiday users visit Eldorado Canyon early in the mornings, later in the day or on
weekdays if pos-sible to avoid the crowds. By working with partnerships that have been formed over many years,
Eldorado Canyon staff will continue to provide many safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities for park visitors
while keeping the canyon from being “loved to death.”
Employees
Permanent: 4
Temporary: 8
Volunteers: 556
Volunteer Hours: 3,235
Geography
Region: Northeast
County: Boulder and Jefferson
Year Acquired: 1978
Elevation: 6,000 ft
Miles From Denver: 30
Trails
Biking: 10.8 miles
Hiking: 17.1 miles
Horseback: 11.3 miles
Cross Country Skiing/
Snowshoeing: 14.5 miles
Total: 17.1 miles
Annual Visitation
384,303
Acreage
Total Acres: 1,393
Roads
Unpaved: 1 mile
Facilities
10 Picnic Sites
Visitor Center
Governmental
US Cong Dist: 2nd
CO Senate: 16th and 18th
CO House: 13th and 25th
Recreation
Fishing
Hunting
Ranger/Nature Programs
Rock Climbing
Wildlife/Bird Viewing
Walden
Fort
Collins
Craig Hayden
Steamboat
Springs
Sterling
Estes Loveland
Park
Greeley
Oak Creek
Fort Brush
Morgan
Meeker
Kremmling
Eldorado
Canyon
Wray
Brighton
Denver
Golden
Avon Vail
Glenwood
Springs
Breckenridge
Collbran
Fruita
Aspen
Leadville
Castle
Rock
Limon
Burlington
Fairplay
Grand Junction
Delta
Paonia
Hotchkiss
Buena
Vista
Crawford
Colorado Springs
Kit Carson
Cripple Creek
Olathe
Gunnison
Montrose
Salida
Canon City
Pueblo
Ridgway
Ouray
Lamar
La Junta
Dove
Creek
Walsenburg
Monte Vista
Dolores
Cortez
Mancos
Durango
Alamosa
La Veta
Springfield
Pagosa
Springs
Trinidad
KEN PAPALEO//HIGH COUNTRY COLORING/CPW
Rifle
Frisco
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us
KEN PAPALEO//HIGH
COUNTRY COLORING/CPW
Eldorado Canyon State Park
