September 2015 Staunton State Park Programs, Hikes, and Activities



Staunton Park is the most boring park that I have seen. State monies should not have been spent on this thing. The last time we went to take a hike, they charged $7 per car. That is quite a ridiculous fee considering that the park is nothing spectacular in the least.

So stay away. More open space for the rest of us.

Arlen, we are sorry to hear that Staunton did not live up to your expectations. Please keep in mind that Staunton is the newest of Colorado's State Parks, only 2 years old, so the time and funds have yet to pass to build infrastructure or improve amenities. The Visitors Center for which the park has been raising funds for the past 3 years, will begin construction hopefully this fall! A $130,000 grant from the Colorado Historical Society was recently gifted in order to begin assessments of our historical cabins so we can plan for structural improvements, and future benefits such as holding classes in them!

The Park is just now breaking ground on a new trail to Elk Falls and soliciting bids for another trail to be built.

All Colorado state parks cost between $7-9 to enter , and while that money does go into the Colorado Parks & Wildlife state pool to be disbursed back to all parks, thus meaning that we only receive a portion of those entry fees back, all funds donated to the Friends of Staunton State Park stay here and are used exclusively to improve our park only! Some examples of what we use those donations for include :

• a Climbers Kiosk that was installed last month providing information to those wishing to learn climbing routes at Staunton State Park.
• Ice-Rescue Equipment for use by the Park Rangers in case of emergency at the Davis Ponds.
• Installing a webcam at the park for the enjoyment of visitors and volunteers alike

We are very excited about the potential for our park's growth; but, most importantly, we are happy that this land has been preserved for all time for future generations to enjoy, and for local wildlife and plant life to continue to use as a pristine home, with no commercial or residential construction able to disrupt the habitat. We are proud the park's volunteers have the opportunity to teach children about nature while in nature, and to appreciate the beauty of life all around them.

We do hope you will come back and see the improvements made. As once said by Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." We would invite you to come volunteer with our park's 80 other volunteers and help us shape our park; or at the very least, provide some input as to what would make the park less boring for you.

Thank you!