Yampa River State Park Nature Walk

Yampa River State Park

Yampa River State Park is located in several spots along the Yampa River in Northwest Colorado. The main headquarters for CPW is where the Nature Walk is. There is also a campground, small boat launch, fishing, bird watching and more available at this section of the park. The campground is dog friendly and has showers and laundry facilities available.

The Yampa River State Park Complex also has 13 river access points over 134 miles of Yampa River. The visitor center is located at the headquarters and can provide maps and a ton of information of the local animals and fish. The HQ, visitor center and campground are all located right off of US-40 near the Hayden, Colorado area.

Birds at Yampa River State Park

One of the most popular activities at Yampa River is birding. Over the miles of park, there are over 100 bird species that are visible at certain times of year. The visitor center has a checklist that lists all of the species, and what time of year they are most likely to be seen. Some, but not all, are the Double-Crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Red-Tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Swallows, Wrens, Starlings, Warblers.

There are a ton more available so if you enjoy bird-watching, make sure to stop by the visitor center and pick up a checklist to make sure you can spot them all!

Nature Walk

The Yampa River State Park Nature walk is a nice and relaxing walk that is mostly used by those who are staying at the campground and those looking for birds. The walk starts near the park entrance and visitor center and works around the outside perimeter of the property and then near the river. It ends up walking around and through the campground before looping back to the start. Keep in mind that there is some private property around the park so stay on the nature path.

I had a really nice time on this walk and was looking for birds and saw quite a few. I am beyond amateur when it comes to identifying birds, so I am not sure what they were but it was great to see them. The path wraps around a really nice picnic area towards the back of the park before coming close to the boat ramp. The ramp gives you the closest water views and access and shows the power of the river.

As the loop progresses, it winds around the edges of the campground and it was great to hear all the sounds and smell all the smells of people enjoying the camping life. Dogs playing. Breakfast frying on the grills. It just seemed like a great place where everyone was really enjoying themselves. The short one mile loop finishes up back at the visitor center.

Yampa River

The Yampa River starts in the Gore Range and flows through Steamboat and Craig before meeting up with the Green River near Dinosaur National Monument in Dinosaur, Colorado. The 13 access points of the Yampa State Park are all between Hayden and Dinosaur. There is also Elkhead Reservoir State Park that is available for swimming, boating and fishing that is just a few miles away from the Yampa.

The whole area is really nice and I had a great time at both the Yampa HQ and Elkhead. They weren’t very crowded and there seemed to be plenty to do around the water. Especially in the spring when the snow melt had the water running relatively high. There are a lot of camping spaces between the two parks and the lake access at Elkhead seemed really nice. It was my first trip to the area and I already am planning to go back and enjoy a bit more of the water!

Video of the Yampa River Nature Walk

I have created a time-lapsed video of the Yampa State Park Nature Walk to give you a feel for what it is like. I call these time lapsed versions of the hikes my hikers edits. If you enjoy the video, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest updates.

Distance and Elevation

If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 1.07 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 10 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 8,927 feet. I was also moving for a total of 23 minutes.

I am a Pro member of AllTrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.

Effort

The Nature Walk at Yampa River State Park is really easy and more of an enjoyable nature walk than a strenuous hike. This hike should be good for all skill levels.

Terrain

The trail for the nature walk at Yampa River State Park is well defined and easy to follow. It is wide and flat and there shouldn’t be much trouble in following it along. The trail alternates from being under a tree canopy to being in the open and depending on the time of year might get a little buggy.

Access to the Yampa River State Park Nature Walk

Yampa River State Park is part of the Colorado State Park system. There is a $10 a day fee per vehicle. Camping will cost extra and fishing licenses are required. Other fees may be seen on the website here.

Wrapping up the Yampa River State Park Nature Trail

I had a great time at Yampa River State Park. I hiked the Nature Trail and it was super low key and a great place to spot birds. The staff at the visitor center were also awesome. They spent a long time telling me about the park and the surrounding area. Plus, they told me all about the birds that are most seen around the nature trail.

I don’t know if this is a hike to make a special trip around unless you love to fish, bird watch, or camping in campgrounds. It is a great place to stop if you are on roadtrip on US-40 on the way to Utah though! A perfect mile long trek to get out and stretch the legs and enjoy some really nice nature!

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to my interactive map page that you can find here. If you have a suggestion or comment you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Gallery of Yampa River State Park Nature Trail