Today I spent the day hiking and photographing in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife refuge. This was the first time I visited the place and I was surprised about where it was located.

The Arsenal was a WWII through Cold War era chemical weapons manufacturing facility. It was decommissioned in the mid '80's and has been reclaimed and turned into a wildlife refuge. The 15,000 acre park is surrounded by Denver and its suburbs. BUT once you're in the park, you quickly forget that.

I hiked around 8-9 miles and seen tons of wildlife, from mule and whitetail deer, to coyotes, owls, geese and ducks. During the spring and summer, the park is supposed to be great for birding and waterfoul. I'll definitely have to go back during the spring and summer as I have seen others photos of the wildlife during those times and can't wait to capture my own images.

Well enough talking, here's the pics. All photos where shot with my 50 year old Takumar 200mm F3.5 Preset.

Here is the Denver Skyline towards the entrance of the park.


8 Jan 2012 1 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr

A couple miles into the hike, there was a pretty large herd of whitetails. There was a couple walking behind me talking (the only people I saw all day), so I couldn't get close to the deer as they were scared.


8 Jan 2012 2 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 3 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 4 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr

There are many lakes in the park surrounded by large cottonwoods, I can't wait to go back during the summer to get some waterfoul shots.


8 Jan 2012 5 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 6 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr

I came up on a small herd of mule deer in the later part of the day. I was able to get close to these deer as no one else was around and I could take my time getting close.


8 Jan 2012 7 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 8 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 9 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 10 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 11 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 12 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr

There weren't many birds present, most are south for the winter, but I can see this place being full of birds during the summer months.


8 Jan 2012 13 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr


8 Jan 2012 14 by Colorado CJ, on Flickr

Well, that's some of the photos I took. It was a change of pace for me hiking the Arsenal as I am usually in pretty remote areas in the high country. This area is right next to Denver, and it is relatively flat, making a long hike very easy. I only spent about 4 hours there today and was able to cover a lot of ground. I was also surprised that there wasn't any people there. I only seen two people the whole day, I though it would be more crowded being so close to the city. I'd definitely recommend a visit to the Arsenal if you are in Denver. A couple hours of easy hiking and you will see and be able to photograph a lot of wildlife.

Thanks for posting. I have been to Denver several times and never knew the Park was there. Pretty cool.

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08 DL650 Flat Black
(Formerly: WindHarvester)

VERY nice camera work!!!

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All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. RWE

Appreciate the nice photos.

Don't expect to see a lot of waterfowl in the summer--they will all be up in Canada.