Bluff Lake Nature Center

Hi Chad! Now that the geese are no longer nesting, they are mobile and have lots of shoreline to choose from. Canada Geese are a common site in city parks and in our neighborhoods, and have a high tolerance for being around humans. Unless someone was actively harming the geese, it sounds like the best way to protect them in this situation is to have a conversation with the kids about respectful interactions with wildlife. We expect Canada Geese to be along our trails and hope that visitors can coexist with them. This is an interesting and teachable aspect of our vision for Bluff Lake: a place where people and nature coexist and thrive. It's a constant balancing act, one that we are grateful to be a part of in this community. If the issue was a nest that was being disturbed, then we could block off part of the trail or add in some additional protections. Thanks for your question!

Noup, just park and the walk

No, sorry no fishing allowed!

No fishing

Hi Darcie, The most common butterflies we see are Black and Western Tiger Swallowtails, Painted Lady's, Gray Hairstreaks, Cabbage Whites, but I have seen the occasional Blue Copper and Monarchs! We do have a lot of milkweed, so some seasons there are a lot of monarchs. Butterflies love the rabbitbrush, so we often look for them in those areas.

No, the park does not have camping.

To respect the wildlife in our refuge, dogs and bikes are not allowed on our site. Even leashed dogs stress out wildlife. Thank you for supporting our mission to provide a safe and peaceful haven for our native animals!

In 2016 we did a project to reinforce the 100+ year old dam on the north side of the lake. This has allowed for our lake to remain full for over 2 and a half years! We are currently working on an updated Lake Management Plan and considering how we will stock and manage the Lake. Once that is completed, we will make a public announcement and let folks know. For now, we do not allow fishing. Thanks! Rachel Crouch, Executive Director, Bluff Lake Nature Center

Hi Jim! The water in Bluff Lake actually comes from storm water runoff from over 1,000 acres of Aurora and Denver. The water (and trash, oil, chemicals, etc) goes through the storm water pipe system and flows into one of two outfall basins at our site. The water flows through a fence (which traps most of the trash) then through our cattail marsh and finally ends up in Bluff Lake. When Bluff Lake is full, water then spills over along a spillway and flows to Sand Creek, cleanly filtered! It is a pretty amazing natural filtration system. We do a lot of school programming around this, including water testing which proves how much cleaner the lake water is than the outfall water. There is a great interpretive sign next to one of our outfalls that explains the process further. Rachel Crouch, Executive Director, Bluff Lake Nature Center

We are currently working on a Lake Mgt Plan and considering how we will stock and manage the Lake. Once that is completed, we will make a public announcement and let folks know. For now, we do not allow fishing. We encourage you to visit our web site and become a member, so you can receive information.

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed

No fishing is allowed at Bluff Lake Nature Center. You can visit our friends at Barr Lake State Park for some great local fishing close to Denver!

No. It's a nature center, and dogs would stress the wildlife so they ask you not to bring dogs.