Fishers Peak State Park
Fishers Peak in Fishers Peak State Park
Map showing the location of Fishers Peak State Park
Map showing the location of Fishers Peak State Park
The park's location in Colorado
Map showing the location of Fishers Peak State Park
Map showing the location of Fishers Peak State Park
Fishers Peak State Park (the United States)
LocationLas Animas County, Colorado, USA
Nearest cityTrinidad, Colorado
Coordinates37°05′52″N 104°27′46″W / 37.09778°N 104.46278°W / 37.09778; -104.46278
Area19,200 acres (7,800 ha)[1]
Established2020
Visitors224 (in 2021)[2]
Governing bodyColorado Parks and Wildlife

Fishers Peak State Park is a Colorado state park in Las Animas County, Colorado, just south of Trinidad. Trinidad Lake State Park is nearby. The park opened on October 30, 2020, and is still being developed.[3][1]

History

The land for the park, formerly the privately-held Crazy French Ranch, was purchased in 2019. Funds to purchase the ranch came jointly from Great Outdoors Colorado, the funding arm of the Colorado Lottery, The Nature Conservancy, and The Trust for Public Land.[4]

Geography

The park takes its name from Fishers Peak, elevation 9,632 feet (2,936 m),[5] a prominent, flat-topped mountain and the highest point on Raton Mesa. The mesa was designated a Natural National Landmark in 1967.[6] The park is within the Raton Basin.

The park includes grasslands, foothills, and mountains. One of the main goals of the park's establishment is to conserve the area's wildlife, which includes elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lions, and bobcats.[4]

Contiguous conservation areas

Adjoining Fishers Peak State Park on the east are two Colorado State Wildlife Areas (SWA): Lake Dorothey, 5,152 acres (2,085 ha), and James M. John, 8,339 acres (3,375 ha). Lake Dorothey also adjoins Sugarite Canyon State Park, 3,600 acres (1,500 ha), in New Mexico. The total contiguous acreage in public ownership is thus about 36,000 acres (15,000 ha). [7] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Fishers Peak". Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
  3. ↑ Argueta, Brenda (October 30, 2020). "Gov. Jared Polis officially opens Fishers Peak State Park in Trinidad". KOAA News 5. Pueblo, Colorado. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Agreement Reached on Fisher's Peak / Crazy French Ranch". Great Outdoors Colorado. January 4, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Fishers Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  6. ↑ "Raton Mesa". National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Map". Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sugarite Canyon State Park Management and Development Plan" (PDF). Retrieved January 2, 2010.
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