barr lake state park

We visited Barr Lake State Park several weeks ago. There was still some ice and mud on the trails but nothing to keep you from enjoying the walk. The visitor center is excellent with displays of numerous raptors (including a bald eagle) and ducks either in cases or suspended from the ceiling. Kids will enjoy the discovery area with all the different skins of animals you can touch and the live dwarf rabbit. The visitor center has bird feeders that are quite popular with the birds. Numerous goldfinches flitted about. Some of our moments of nature on this visit included a herd of 13 deer, a barn owl and a hairy woodpecker. The nest of the resident pair of bald eagles is very obvious in winter. A flock of hundreds (or more) of Canada geese crowded into some open water on the lake. All of a sudden, the entire flock began taking flight. It looked liked those videos from National Geographic or Animal Planet showing the mass flight of flamingoes or snow geese. It was a pleasant way to spend part of a winter day.

A good place to take a long hike with an excellent chance of seeing eagles, waterfowl, and deer. A bird banding station is operated during migration with visitor welcome! Be aware that hunting occurs in areas adjacent to the park.

This is a great place to take the family to enjoy nature without having to drive I-70. There is an 8.8 mile trail that circles the lake and takes you through the wildlife refuge. In the spring great horned owls and eagles hatch their babies in the refuge. Shuttles are available for a few weeks in the spring so that everyone can enjoy the spectacle. Great place to run.

The water level is low at the end of summer since this is an irrigation lake, but the grounds and trails are maintained very well!

Barr Lake State Park is a fantastic place to go for a walk and watching wildlife. I go several times a month for bird watching. If that’s your thing, stop by the nature center to get a bird list and tips on where to go. They have breeding bald eagles that you can watch raise their young. Barr Lake has a great group of volunteers who run programs like the Eagle Express. The guide was very knowledgeable about the plants and animals around the lake. My favorite part was going to the gazebo and watching the baby eagles in a nest. If you want to go on the Eagle Express call and make reservations. Wear bug spray, you are going to be at a lake. Barr Lake also has concerts, archery and tons of kid’s activities.

Denver has a lot to offer any visitor and Barr Lake (State Park) should be included. It has exceptional wildlife and (esp.) bird watching. Barr Lake (as it's commonly shortened to) is mostly a bird sanctuary and local fishing hole in Brighton, which is just northeast of Denver on I-76. Like all State Parks in Colorado, either have a year pass OR buy the day pass. $7 per day. Park Rangers DO check for fishing license here, so have it handy. Not much on Trails - just one around the lake. Since it's swamp as well as lake, expect a lot of insects. Barr Lake is mostly an irrigation reservoir for the local farmers, so it's lower in July and August, when they need the water. An aquatic plant (we call a "smartweed") is all around the lake and supports lots of wildlife, including insects which feeds many of the smaller animals (birds and fish) around the lake. So... it's impossible to fish here during the "low water level months" like July and August. I was here July 4-5 and was extremely difficult to fish from the banks. Few expert anglers come here, mostly intermediates and beginners. If you come here later in the year, make sure you use a boat to get away from the banks, thus weeds... otherwise... well, you get the point. If you're a "birder" and like watching the raptors do their thing.. well, you're in heaven here. I saw a bald eagle grab a 10" trout right out of the lake and take it home. Now I have decided to train an eagle to grab them and drop them off for me.. much like fishermen use cormorants. Several are in the area. Several spots set up to host such viewing.Boat ramp available next to picnic area. Plenty of parking and rarely crowded. IF you're not a expert fisherman with boats and such, then ignore recommended spots or "hot spots".. esp. if later in the season. I was there two days in early July and NO ONE caught anything either day... and this was a "hot spot." It's really like gambling.. mostly just getting lucky more than anything else.

Enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon at Barr Lake State Park for only $7.00 for a day pass. I would like to go back for the bird watching hikes.

I love Barr Lake. A few more parking spaces could be added. Being close to water I expect bugs. Bring your insect repellency people, you're outdoors! Lovely view of the mountains. Great boat ramp and kayak launching areas. Great for dog walking.

I grew up close to this park, we used to come here all the time and have picnics or go fishing. So i decided to take my family here for a picnic, not being there for a while. Oh my goodness! The mosquitoes were so bad on the trail we had to run, they would just attack. Never have i experience that. We left without having our picnic. There was a family of geese that we saw as we ran for our lives.

This lake has come a long way in 20 years! There are so many beautiful animals and scenery to see that it will take some time. Clean and activities, we absolutely love it.

This state park is known for its wildlife, especially the nesting eagles! Between November an January there are a number of migrating pairs of eagles that make it their take up their home. They have a boardwalk that stretches out to a viewing area, bring your binoculars you will need them. They have a very nice visitors center, picnic area, camping and 12 miles of trails. A great place to take in nature and at the right time you will be blow away by the number of eagles there!

The park is really nice to visit, but do so in the fall where your days are still comfortable with a light jacket, because the wasps are terrible. They have nests in every wind break where the picnic tables are, and swarm around the tables, not as bad, the picnic tables out in the open, but the wasps still swarm around them too. We had our picnic on our picnic blanket in the bed of my truck.

Not far off of I-76, Barr Lake State Park is a nice trek to get away from the road for a while. The roads are all paved, there are great parking lots for both cars and RVs. There is no camping at the lake itself, but there is an RV park close-by. There are shelters you can get into to see the birds better. It is a fun place to visit year 'round!

Not to far outside of Denver about 20 minutes. Great path by the lake saw 2 deer as we walked the easy .25 mile loop. Saw a Bald Eagle and several red tailed hawks. It is a lake with not a lot of shade and no boating. Bring bug spray the mosquito's are pretty bad but a great way to spend the morning.

I've only been to Barr Lake State Park twice but I enjoyed my time there. It is tucked away from town and has a nice quiet feel about it. It has a lot of nature trails and bridges to explore as well as it looks like a great place to picnic and fish. I saw deer there last time I visited. I saw someone complained about bugs there but hello! We're in nature! You're going to find bugs at places like these! Especially when there's water nearby. Just make sure you pack your bug spray. I'm sure the bugs are part of the reason the bird population is so healthy there! I think it's worth visiting and I would like to go fishing there in the future.