Omayra Acevedo, Barr Lake State Park. At first, I thought that it was impossible for the city of Brighton, Colorado, to be home to such a beautiful High Plains natural habitat. Once I got there, I realized I had been proven wrong. I will admit that it was not my favorite place, but still, it was pretty impressive with the amount of bird activity and views it had to offer. My favorite thing about Barr Lake State Park is that they closed a mile of their trail due to raptor nesting. That means that an eagle, hawk, falcon, osprey, owl and/or kestrel was caring for fledglings, and Colorado was protecting them. That alone got me super excited. 

An 8.8 mile trek loops around Barr Lake, where you can hike, boat, fish, bird watch, bike ride, ride a horse, run or have a picnic. Several wildlife viewing stations offer you the opportunity to catch some of the area’s birds in action. Should you plan on boating, make sure to call ahead of time for the specific rules and regulations regarding the wildlife in and around the location.  

The nature center displays some information on the lake, its history and inhabitants. A naturalist can also answer all your questions about recreating in the state park. I will recommend that you use the restroom before embarking on your journey around the lake. There are no convenient port-a-potties in the almost nine-mile hike. Get there early, unless you can handle the city heat. 

Oh, and more thing, watch out for the airplanes landing and taking off from Denver International Airport. I never heard them while I was there, but you could certainly see them. I thought it was pretty cool. It always reminds me of my traveling days. 

I could not keep track of all the birds I saw, but they were plentiful. Apparently, over 350 species of wild birds have been spotted in Barr Lake State Park. You can see pelicans, red-winged blackbirds, herons, cormorants, egrets, deer and even coyotes. I wasn’t fond of the heat by the time I was done with my walk around Barr Lake, but it is an attractive place nonetheless. I’m glad I went and explored the water, birds and views. 

For more information check out https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/barrlake

(Originally published in the May 20, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)