Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat

Trails

• Easy
• Uses: Bikes, Hiking, Horses, Leashed Dogs
• 3.5 miles (includes Heatherwood Link)
• Trail Map (3.3 MB)

Picnic Areas

• Tables, group shelters, and 2 grills

Restrooms

• Located at both Cottonwood Marsh and Wally Toevs Pond

Parking

• Cottonwood Marsh lot accommodates 18 cars and 2 horse trailers

Fishing

• Fishing at Walden Ponds

Keep in Mind

• Some areas are closed to the public to protect nesting birds or for re-vegetation
• Wading, swimming and boating are not allowed
• Since ponds are primarily groundwater-fed, levels may fluctuate substantially depending on recent precipitation

Brochures and Field Guides

• Birds Checklist (106 KB)
• Brochure (2 MB)
• Nature Detectives Mystery Guide (675 KB)

Management Plan

• Management Plan (7 MB)

Maps

• Trail Map (3.3 MB)

Animals

Many birds come to Walden Ponds to feed, nest, and stopover during migration. These include diving and wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors and others. There are also many mammals, reptiles, and amphibians typical of Colorado’s eastern plains.

Plants

As a wetland habitat, you will see many aquatic species, as well as many grasses and some wildflowers.

Gravel Mine

Gravel was first mined in 1958. Open pits and puddles of groundwater were all that remained after the property had been stripped 15 feet down to bedrock.

Reclamation

In 1974, the county initiated a reclamation program after county residents expressed strong interest in creating a wildlife habitat. Piles of rock were compacted into dikes creating three ponds. Two additional ponds were added during the 1990s. Tree and shrub seedlings were planted and dry areas were seeded to help foster natural re-vegetation. The ponds were allowed to fill with groundwater and then stocked with fish.

Evolving Ecosystem

Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat first opened to the public in October 1975 and is a work in progress, a park that is still evolving as a wildlife habitat and recreational retreat.

The Name

Contrary to what many believe, Walden Ponds is not a reference to Thoreau’s pond of the same name. It is named after Walden “Wally” Toevs, the Boulder County Commissioner who spearheaded the plan to convert the gravel pits into a wildlife habitat in the 1970s.