Carpenter Ranch

Why You Should Visit
The Carpenter Ranch serves as the centerpiece of the Conservancy's efforts to conserve the natural, historical and agricultural heritage of the Yampa Valley. With many ranches but few small private holdings, the Valley is a great place for the Conservancy to pursue landscape-scale conservation efforts.

Today, Carpenter Ranch is a working cattle ranch, a research and education facility, and a center for cooperation and dialogue. A walk through the rare cottonwood riparian forest offers a chance to see many species of birds that reside here.

The education facility features interactive exhibits, historical background and information about the many species that live here.

When to Visit
From May 15 to September 1, the facilities are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.

Things To Do
Spend time exploring the ranch and bring your binoculars!

Plan Your Visit
Plants
Carpenter Ranch harbors some of the highest-quality occurrences of the globally rare box elder-narrowleaf cottonwood/red-osier dogwood plant community.

Birds
You could say that the ranch is a kind of birders' paradise. This site has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Audubon Society. Here are some of the species you might see:

-American kestrels
-Bald eagles
-Bobolinks
-Cooper's hawks
-Finches
-Flycatchers
-Great horned owls
-Grosbeaks
-Merganser
-Orioles
-Red-tailed hawks
-Sandhill cranes
-Vireos
-Warblers
-Woodpeckers

Directions
From Denver:

-Take Interstate 70 west
-Near Silverthorne, take State Highway 9 north to Kremmling
-At Kremmling, take U.S. Highway 40 northwest to Steamboat Springs
-Approximately 20 miles west of Steamboat Springs, look for a white sign on the north side of the road for "Carpenter Ranch"; turn down the dirt road and park at the Visitor Center.