State Forest State Park
More than 70,000 acres of high basins, forests, alpine lakes, and the Medicine Bow Mountains make this Colorado’s expansive moose country. Begin at the Moose Visitor Center and choose one drainage; the park is too large and road-dependent for casual wandering.
Artwork inspired by Frank Vavra
State Forest State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Jackson and Larimer counties east of Walden, Colorado, United States. The 70,838-acre (286. 67 km2) park was established in 1970 in the Medicine Bow Range of the Rocky Mountains.
Begin at the Moose Visitor Center and choose one drainage; the park is too large and road-dependent for casual wandering. Look for moose habitat—willow bottoms and wet meadows—without approaching animals or stopping unsafely on narrow roads.
- Landscape
- Remote 71,000-acre mountain park
- Access
- Snow transforms road access
- Allow
- One full day
Quick guide
- Route question
- Willow bottoms and wet meadows reveal moose habitat
- Final evidence
- the transition between developed access and the wider landscape
Four deliberate moves through State Forest State Park
- Choose
- Choose a district, not the whole park
- Notice
- Look for moose without crowding them
- Find habitat
- Willow bottoms and wet meadows are better moose clues than roadsides.
- Prepare
- Remote roads, snow, fire rules, and hunting seasons complicate access.
Good to know
Backcountry roads, snow, wildfire restrictions, hunting seasons, and limited services make self-sufficiency essential.
Notice these
- More than 70,000 acres of high basins, forests, alpine lakes, and the Medicine Bow Mountains make this Colorado’s expansive moose country.
- Look for moose habitat—willow bottoms and wet meadows—without approaching animals or stopping unsafely on narrow roads.