• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Uncover Colorado Logo

  • Blog
  • Activities
    • Year-round
      • Brewery Tours
      • Casinos & Gaming
      • Caves
      • Colorado Brands
      • Escape Rooms
      • Federal Lands
      • Food & Dining
      • Ghost Towns
      • Gondola & Chairlifts
      • Hot Springs
      • Lakes
      • Landmarks
      • Mine Tours
      • Mountains
      • Museums
      • Paintball
      • Performing Arts
      • Public Parks
      • Rivers
      • Scenic Drives
      • Sightseeing Tours
      • Shopping
      • Sports Teams
      • State Parks
      • Train Rides
      • Transportation
      • Winery Tours
      • Wildlife
      • Zip Lines & Aerial Parks
    • Spring, Summer & Fall
      • Amusement Parks
      • ATV Rentals
      • Biking
      • Boating
      • Camping
      • Drive-In Theaters
      • Fishing
      • Golf Courses
      • Hiking
      • Horseback Riding
      • Jeep Rentals
      • Rock Climbing
      • Tubing & Paddling
      • Waterfalls
      • Whitewater Rafting
    • Winter
      • Cross Country Skiing
      • Dog Sledding
      • Ice Climbing
      • Ice Fishing
      • Ice Skating
      • Skiing & Snowboarding
      • Sleigh Rides
      • Snow Tubing
      • Snowbiking
      • Snowmobiling
      • Snowshoeing
  • Events
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • Lodging
    • Budget Hotels
    • Historic Hotels
    • Luxury Hotels
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Boutique Hotels
    • Cabins & Glamping
    • Casinos w/ Lodging
    • Hot Spring w/ Lodging
    • Wineries w/ Lodging
    • Best Hotels
    • Dude Ranches
    • Campgrounds
  • Towns
  • Trip Planner
  • Search
  • Blog
  • Activities
  • Events
  • Lodging
  • Towns
  • Trip Planner
Yampa River near Steamboat Springs
The Yampa River near Steamboat Springs. Photo by: Simon Foot

Yampa River Preserve – Hayden

FacebookTwitter

The Yampa River Preserve wets of Steamboat Springs, Colorado is a protected habitat where plant and wildlife are allowed to flourish in their natural setting. It is run by The Nature Conservancy and open to visitors looking for outdoor adventure and an up-close view of nature.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is dedicated to protecting, promoting, and conserving the natural lands and waters across the world. They operate in over 70 countries and territories, including the USA. The Conservancy runs over 100 marine projects that study and safeguard the wildlife and plant life that live in these natural habitats

The Conservancy provides homeowners and businesses with alternative options to the conventional practices of land management, helping to create a world in which nature can thrive alongside the modern world. Conservation tools and methods are readily available to both private and public landowners interested in protecting the natural environment around them.

History

The Yampa River basin was inhabited by the Fremont Indians beginning around 800 AD. The Fremonts occupied the land for several hundred years, until suddenly disappearing in the 1400s. They left behind their history depicted in petroglyphs all around the Yampa River Canyon, most of which remain intact and accessible to researchers and adventurers interested in this important piece of Coloradoโ€™s past.

After the still unexplained disappearance of the Fremonts, the Ute Indians took over this region. They stretched across Colorado, from the Yampa and White Rivers valleys all the way to the Rockies. Those who lived in in Yampa were referred to as Yamparika or Yapudttka Utes. Yamparika translates to โ€œyampa eatersโ€ and refers to the roots of the yampa plant, which was abundant in this area and a common source of food.

The Preserve Today

At the Yampa River Preserve, the Conservancy has fought to protect 8,800 acres of land and water that run alongside a 10-mile stretch of the Yampa River. This part of the Yampa River flows through Morgan Bottom, a 15-mile long floodplain where bald eagles and otters roam through a rare riparian forest made up of cottonwood, box elders, and dogwood.

Here, natural flooding is a common occurrence, and one which helps to keep the land rich and fertile. As old banks erode with each flood, new sediment is deposited, encouraging the growth of new wetlands and forests.

The riparian forest is unique not only for its varied vegetation, but because they are among the most fertile environments in the natural world. They lessen bank erosion and increase biodiversity amongst both flora and fauna, making them an essential part of the natural world.

The Yampa River is one of the few free-flowing rivers not only in Colorado, but in the United States. It runs for 250 miles, starting in the Rocky Mountains, and is a major tributary of the Green River. It is an important part of Coloradoโ€™s river system.

Activities

The Preserve is open year-round from dawn to dusk, but mosquitoes run rampant in the summer months. Bring bug spray, even if you plan to spend only a short time there. Activities permitted in the preserve include:

  • Picnics
  • Hiking
  • Birdwatching
  • Kayaking
  • Snowshoeing
  • Wildlife viewing
  • Nature-based activities

Hunting, fishing, and camping opportunities run up and down the Yampa River, but may not be permitted within the grounds of the preserve. Check with the local public lands management office to confirm that you are hunting or fishing in an appropriate area.

Yampa River Riparian Zone Dinosaur National Monument
Riparian zone beside the Yampa River, Dinosaur National Monument, Colo. Photo by: Jeff Foster

For those interested in a longer journey, continuing down the Yampa River will take you through Coloradoโ€™s Dinosaur National Monument, near the border of Utah and Colorado. Numerous dinosaur fossils have been discovered here, in over 800 paleontological sites.

The area around Dinosaur Quarry, contained within the Monument area, has officially been designated an International Dark Sky Park.

Getting There

The Yampa River Preserve is located in the Yampa River Valley, about 17 miles west of Steamboat Springs and 4 miles east of Hayden. It lies on the eastern edge of the Valleyโ€™s floodplain.

Details

Address: Highway 40, 4 miles east of Hayden, CO

Season: Year-round

Website: nature.org/…

Latest in Yampa River

Arkansas River Whitewater Rafting through the Royal Gorge by Train

8 Best Rivers to Raft in Colorado

The Rocky Mountains are well known for the epic whitewater rivers they produce, and Colorado boasts…

8 Best Rivers to Raft in ColoradoRead More

Clear Creek Whitewater Park Rubber Ducky Tuber

Colorado’s Top Whitewater Parks for Kayaks, Tubes and SUPs

Since the turn of the millennium, Coloradoโ€™s towns have been revolutionizing their waterfront areas with new…

Colorado’s Top Whitewater Parks for Kayaks, Tubes and SUPsRead More

South Platte River, Colorado

Colorado’s Major Rivers

When all of Coloradoโ€™s famous snow melts in the spring, it becomes the stateโ€™s gorgeous rivers.…

Colorado’s Major RiversRead More

View more Yampa River articles

Primary Sidebar

Join our Colorado travel community

Enter your email below and grab our free locals' guide and monthly what's up designed to help you live your Colorado life and uncover fun things to do. โ€”and never miss out again.

Recent Posts

  • 9 Best Motorcycle Rides in Colorado
  • 2022-23 Colorado Ski Resort Season Opening & Closing Dates
  • 12 Marvelous Hiking Trails near Montrose
  • Things to do in April in Colorado
  • 10 Picturesque Hiking Trails near Paonia

Footer

Get In Touch

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Resources
  • Disclaimer
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Disclosure: Uncover Colorado is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Things To Do

  • Travel Blog
  • Colorado Activities
  • Colorado Events
  • Colorado Towns
  • Colorado Hotels
  • Colorado Restaurants
  • Colorado Transportation
  • Made in Colorado

Cheers! Mile High Happy Hour shares showcases Denver neighborhoods' restaurant happy hours.

Winter Activities

  • Federal Lands
  • Ghost Towns
  • Hot Springs
  • Ice Skating
  • Ski Resorts
  • Snow Tubing
  • State Parks
  • Train Rides

Copyright © 2023 ยท Uncover Colorado | Sitemap | Advertise