Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a 15,988 acre nature sanctuary that has been transformed from a former chemical weapons manufacturing site into one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the United States, which now houses more than 330 species, including a roaming herd of over 200 bison, deer, coyotes, bald eagles, and endangered black-footed ferrets. It is located just 8 miles from the city of Denver.

I wasn't too sure we were going to see much beyond the prairie dogs we saw early on today, and we can see them all over town too. As we continued our drive along the road, we spotted a big cloud of dust ahead. At first I thought it was due to the wind, though it wasn't terribly windy out. It turned out that the big dust could was caused by a herd of bison, both by running across the plain and by some rolling around on the ground. We watched as the bison made their way towards the road, and eventually crossing it in front of us. It was a pretty cool thing to see, and I am glad I got the opportunity to see them!

We continued our drive after watching the bison for nearly 30 minutes. We ended up spotting some mule deer standing alongside the roadway a short while later. They stood there eating for a while until another car passed us going quite fast, which ended up causing the deer to turn and head away from us.

At that point we finished our drive, not seeing much beyond some more prairie dogs. Overall our trip was definitely worthwhile, and I am excited to do it again in the future!

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Dick's Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, is located just outside of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

The entrance sign to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

A look back at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

A few photos of black-tailed prairie dogs...

A sign warning not to approach the wildlife.

A look at the mountains from the arsenal.

Another prairie dog standing on the prairie.

Another view of the mountains.

We spotted our first bison!

This lone bison was laying on the ground...

...twitching and rocking - I'm not sure it was entirely healthy.

Our first sighting of the buffalo herd beyond the prairie dog sign.

A bunch of our pictures of the buffalo roaming across the arsenal grounds...

This one was rolling around the ground, one of the reasons for the dust cloud surrounding the herd. And, if you look closely, you can see a coyote strolling by behind the herd...

The road crossing begins...

More of our bison photos...

WTF?!? A temporary plate that expired on July 26th, 2024? Really Colorado?!?

Some more bison photos...

Tara enjoying the view of the bison herd as she slowly drives along the roadway...

Another view of the mountains after departing our bison watching area.

We next spotted these mule deer grazing along the roadway...

The city of Denver is easily visible from Rocky Mountain Arsenal, with the mountains in the background...

A few more shots of the prairie dogs...

A look at the sky above Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.