Horseshoe Park: Difference between revisions

Horseshoe Park is a flat at 8,524 feet (2,598 m) in elevation in Larimer County, Colorado^[1] and within the Rocky Mountain National Park,^[2] which lies between Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake, Colorado on the west. Horseshoe Park is home to bighorn sheep, elk and other wildlife, and it is a wetland sanctuary for wide variety of birds. Recreational activities include picnicking, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Roaring River, Lawn Lake and Crystal Lake are located here.

An inn was operated in the area for almost 25 years, until 1931, when the inn was purchased by the federal government. It was removed the land was returned to its natural habitat. From 1933 to 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps operated a camp in Horseshoe Park and the men improved the park's facilities, removed beetle-infested trees, built and improved trails and campgrounds, and other projects.

Sheep Lakes in Horseshoe Park is located at 8,650 feet (2,640 m) above sea level.^[2] The park is in the lower elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park in the montane ecosystem of montane forests and grasslands.^[3] the U-shaped valley was formed by a 500-foot thick glacier over hundreds of years. The rock pushed through the valley was deposited into a terminal moraine down the valley. The glacier receded and dropped rubble that formed lateral moraines about 15,000 years ago. The sediment left behind from melted waters became the meadows of Horseshoe Park and deep depressions created Sheep Lakes, where bighorn sheep congregate.^[2]

Elk have been coming to the area since the melting of the Pinedale glacers about 13,000 years ago. There was sufficient vegetation to support large hears of elk, bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn antelope, and bison. Native Americans hunted wildlife there.^[4]

In the early 1900s, William H. Ashton left Massachusetts for Estes Park. He built the Horseshoe Inn to serve up to 115 guests on a flat area of the park. He also owned and operated a lodge at Lawn Lake. The inn was purchased by the government in 1931. It was razed to restore the terrain for wildlife.^[4] On June 30, 1932, it was officially name Horseshoe Park by the National Park Service.^[5]

Little Horseshoe Park became the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) base beginning in 1933. The initial crew of unmarried young men suffered because they arrived before sufficient food, clothing, bedding and other supplies had arrived and a riot ensued. Once the supplies arrived, a blizzard struck and ruined the camp's tents. The following day, 100 men cut down trees infested by beetles. The camp held just under 200 men. Over the years, the corps was engaged in projects to improve the park. They built and improved trails and campgrounds. They removed buildings and structures to return the land to its natural habitat. Park buildings were landscaped and telephone lines were installed. The CCC camp disbanded in 1942, when the federal program was shut down.^[6]

The road to the western portion of Horseshoe Park leads to West Horseshoe Park, a trailhead to 4.5 miles (7.2 km) Lawn Lake trail, the Alluvial Fan, Endovalley Picnic Area, and Old Fall River Road. The Lawn Lake trail follows the Roaring River to Lawn Lake and Crystal Lake.^[2] During the winter, there is cross-country skiing and snowshoeing through Endovalley.^[2] Little Horseshoe Park, an overlook near Deer Ridge Junction, and Fan Lake are also located within Horseshoe park.^[2]

Elk graze in Western Horseshoe Park at dawn and dusk. In autumn, males make mating calls and engage in fights against other bull elk for dominance among the herd. A large wetland supports a variety of birds, including robins, mountain bluebirds, redwing blackbirds, warblers, hummingbirds, warbling vireos, song sparrows, and thrushes. The wetlands were conferred protective status in 1972.^[4]

The flood of July 15, 1982, called the "great washout", sent 39 million gallons of water through the Alluvian Fan and down the Roaring River.^[2] The river's source is Crystal Lake and it flows through Lawn Lake before a confluence with the Fall River in Horseshoe Park. The collapse of the Lawn Lake Dam in 1982 scoured the river's channel and deposited an alluvial fan of debris in Horseshoe Park.^[7] There are still deposits of trees stumps and other woody debris that remain at the high water line of the flood.^[4]

• Best of Rocky Mountain National Park Hiking Trails. Adler Publishing. 1998. pp. 15–16, 18. ISBN 978-0-930657-39-0.
• Lisa Foster (2005). Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide. Big Earth Publishing. pp. 111, 128–130, 131, 173, 210. ISBN 978-1-56579-550-1.
• Doreen Gonzales (2009). Rocky Mountain National Park: Adventure, Explore, Discover. Enslow Publishers, Inc. pp. 22, 29, 39, 54–55, 101–103, 107–108. ISBN 978-1-59845-096-5.
• John Hamilton (September 1, 2010). Rocky Mountain National Park. ABDO. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-1-61714-383-0.
• Alan Leftridge (February 27, 2015). The Best of Rocky Mountain National Park. Farcountry Press. pp. 11–13, 25, 27, 30, 87, 112–113. ISBN 978-1-56037-635-4.

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40°24′29″N 105°38′20″W / 40.408°N 105.639°W / 40.408; -105.639